Petunia's Boys
by severusphoenix
Summary: A very AU Severus/Harry mentor fic with Lucius as a friend as well. Petunia dies and the Dursley's flee Privet Drive along with Harry. They end up hiding in an unexpected place when the Hogwarts letter arrives.
1. Chapter 1

Pbs1

Disclaimer- Don't own it, Just twisting the characters to suit me.

Chapter 1

Petunia wandered her darkened house late that night, unable to sleep or even settle to rest and pretend sleep. The news earlier that day had simply been so horrid. The testing she'd had done earlier in the week had kept her on edge, fearing the worst.

She'd run around the house manically every day, spoiling Dudley far more than usual. Not knowing what else to do but cook, clean and play with her son. Finally, just before dark today, the phone had rung. Vernon had stood beside her wringing his hands as she listened to the sympathetic physician tell her the news.

Petunia had slowly set the phone back down and said, without turning to face Vernon. "It's breast cancer."

She'd had felt, more than seen him slump in horror and then sit heavily on the sofa. Petunia had quietly patted his shoulder and murmured reassurances to him that she didn't believe.

Vernon had, at last straightened up and determinedly announced that "There were always plently of treatment options – they would beat this!"

Petunia had smiled and nodded, hoping he was correct, but not really believing it.

Now, as she moved through the darkened house, mind whirling, she wondered how she would ever handle it. She'd had a friend die of cancer last year. She hated the idea of going through all that her friend had. But to stay with her family, she would.

Her over-stressed nerves alerted immediately to sounds out on the front step and she moved into the living room enough to see out of the house. Her heart dropped in dread – it was a wizard and a witch, talking quietly and putting something in front of the door.

Mostly she'd hoped to never have contact with magical people again, except for her sister. Her encouters with magic had been few and mostly unhappy ones.

Lily and Petunia had started writing each other again during their respective pregnancies. The overtures had been tenative, at first. Petunia had suspected it had started because Lily was afraid. The Dark Lord she and Potter were battling against was becoming very violent. According to Lily even 'the muggles' were noticing. Petunia snorted.

The initial letters had been a series of arguments about past slights and the reasons for their anger with each other. The clearing of the air had been good for them, though. It had been slow going, as they had to get the letters to each other by Lily or Petunia sending them to Tom at the Leaky Cauldron, and then he sent them on to the other person.

That had all changed when Lily had to go into hiding.

The next letters had been delivered by a small spotted owl. Vernon had been aghast, and then intrigued, trying to figure out how it all worked – as long as the neighbors didn't notice.

Lily said that they were now in hiding under something called a _fidelus_ charm and the letters via Tom would be a hazard. There was a long, convoluted explanation of a prophecy, it being overheard, and this 'Voldemort' being after her just-born son, Harry. It had taken several letters before Petunia had understood. Then, she was quite sure, she understood far more than Lily did.

Lily had often said that Petunia, had she been a witch, would have been sorted into Slytherin, along with Severus. Lily had meant it as an insult, Petunia was sure. After learning more about the wizarding world, Petunia felt a bit complimented.

Petunia had pointed out that this Dumbledore could have, at any time, stopped the eavesdropper from leaving with the partial prophecy. Even Petunia knew that their were ways to erase a memory. No one needed to have known about the prophecy except Dumbledore – _unless Dumbledore had a reason for wanting it known_. The Order of the Phoenix was needing a weapon – Harry was a cause for hope for them and dread to Voldemort – but _**only**_ if the Dark Lord knew about it.

Dumbledore had _wanted_ the prophecy taken to Voldemort. A prophecy does no one any good if it isn't known about by those it concerned. Voldemort had slowed down his attacks on others and became fixed on Harry. Petunia was sure that Dumbledore had known the Dark Lord would pull back to concentrate on this new threat to him.

Lily hadn't answered that letter right away. Apparently she talked to Dumbledore first. Lily's next letter rambled a bit about choices and letting people make their own path, trying desperately to excuse the Headmaster's actions – or inactions. Then, as if tired of making excuses, she said Albus had admitted to her, privately, that it had been Severus who had overheard the prophecy and then turned spy when he had realized what he had done.

Petunia had been livid. Severus' defection to the Dark had always troubled Petunia. Lily returned every summer with tales of the marauders and their pranks to tell them. At first the idea of the boy she hated being pranked had been funny, then even she had been horrified. Lily had been a bit defensive of the pranking, saying they didn't understand about house loyalties. Their parents had retorted that bullies were bullies even if they were Gryffindors, like her.

Lily had stuck with Severus until their fifth year. Then he'd insulted Lily and she'd refused her forgiveness. Lily had made a bit of a production of telling her parents that Severus 'was turning to the dark', etc and no longer her friend. Petunia had laughed at her, to Lily's astonishment.

_"So the pretty cheerleader is finally dumping the embarassing, ugly, unpopular friend from her childhood so she can hook up with the handsome team captain, then?" Petunia had taunted. "You m__ust have been __**so**__ relieved when he finally did something to give you an excuse and make it his fault instead of yours?"_

Lily's red face had been answer enough. She had sputtered more excuses at first, then said, _"You don't understand how hard it has been __for me to be friends with any Slytherin. They've been after me to drop Severus since first year. Even the Headmaster disapproves."_

Petunia had sneered at her excuses and Lily had run to her room in embarassed tears, likely hoping that their mother would come tell her she'd been right to dump Severus. Petunia suspected that their mother had. She'd been fretting that Lily would take Severus seriously – and while she'd approved of Lily having him as a friend – since he'd helped Lily understand the magical world - she'd not wanted an impoverished riverside street rat as a son-in-law.

Learning of Severus turning spy because of his mistake had been a shock. Petunia remembered Severus' devotion to Lily. She had almost pitied him for what had to be a miserable situation for the man. Remembering their feud over Lily – the jealous rivalry between she and Severus troubled her.

She'd urged Lily to reach out to him, reminding her that she'd been his only link to real friendship. Petunia also told Lily that with the tormenting 'marauders' and the 'disapproving' Albus being the representatives of 'the light', how had Lily expected Severus to ever _**not**_ go dark? Not to mention that Albus seemed to have somehow gained a valuable spy through the whole shoddy mess ... and Petunia found that all very suspicious.

There had been another long pause between letters, and then the news that Lily had met with Severus in disguise – there had been some yelling between them, but they had made up. Lily had forgiven Severus and told him she mostly blamed Albus, not him, for the leaked prophecy. Lily had brought up Petunia's point that Albus should never have let him leave the pub with the knowledge of the prophecy ... not to mention that Severus had gotten emotionally blackmailed into a highly dangerous position of spying on the Darkest Lord in centuries.

Apparently Severus had not thought of that and had calmed considerably, willing to accept forgiveness and, perhaps forgive himself as well. Not to mention he was in deep thought over Albus' supposed kindly mechinations. Lily had ended the letter saying that Sev was still 'a snide bat', but once again her friend.

Petunia had been relieved. Even though she'd never liked Severus, Lily had said he was a powerful and clever wizard. If anyone could help Lily stay alive, it was him.

The latest letters had given her hope. Lily had found old protective spells that a mother could cast to lay protections on her child. Some of them would only activate if Lily was dead, which frightened Petunia. Now that she had Dudley, though, and she could totally understand Lily looking into them. She would have not hesitated to use them for Dudley if necessary.

Petunia shook off the memories and watched closely as the pair on her stoop talked and then walked to the road and abruptly disappeared. Her heart was heavy with dread – this could not be good. She opened the front door and saw a basket with a dark haired toddler in it.

Her initial reaction was hysterical laughter. Who really put children on doorsteps in this manner? She spied the note pinned to the baby blanket and quickly picked up the basket, closed the door and sat on the sofa. The baby lay sleeping quietly, so Petunia opened the note slowly.

Dumbledore had tried to blunt the full horror of what had happened, but there was no way to really temper the blow. The 'secret keeper' had betrayed the Potter's location to the Dark Lord and there had been an attack. James had been killed and then Lily. Somehow when Voldemort had attacked little Harry, the spell had rebounded and struck Voldemort – apparently destroying him.

The letter had asked her to take Harry in and take care of him 'until he can enter the wizarding world to attend Hogwarts', after that he would only need to be there during holidays. There was mention of 'Blood Wards' to protect Harry 'where his mother's blood dwells', and was given as the reason it was imperitive that Petunia take him in.

There was a generic 'so sorry for your loss' and the Headmaster's signature.

Petunia clutched the letter to her chest, rocking back and forth in agony. Tears streamed down her cheeks. So her beloved, brilliant Lily had died the same day that Petunia, herself, had been told she might die, as well.

Harry squirmed in the basket, opening his emerald green eyes to peer myopically at Petunia. Petunia froze, transfixed by the similarity between her nephew's eyes and her sister's. She picked him up in shaky hands and held him close. She would find a way to keep him safe – from Dumbledore as well as others.

Dumbledore would not be concerned about 'blood wards' unless there was danger – and not unless he still needed Harry for his plans for the future in some way.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

A second crib, borrowed from a friend went into Dudley's room. Harry seemed less anxious with his cousin near, and Dudley was greatly curious about the second child in the room. He seemed quite fascinated. Vernon had taken the news that they now had two children fairly well. The distraction of Petunia's illness made the small, quiet child less of a concern – especially since Dudley was so taken with having a playmate.

Petunia had her mastectomy done and the neighboring women closed ranks quickly to help her. Breast cancer tended to strike a cord among them like few other things did. All of them were eager to fix some of the family's meals andto help with lifting until Petunia was allowed to.

The news that there was a second child in the Dursley household did, of course, cause curiosity. Petunia and Vernon had hastily made up a story explaining Harry.

_"He's been orphaned by a car smash – a drunk madman rammed their car, killing Petunia's sister and brother-in-law. It was lucky that child seats are so good at protecting infants or Harry wouldn't be here either."_

The neighbors were doubly sympathetic, and Harry and his Aunt became a bit of a local cause. Petunia and Vernon were never lacking for support, which came in handy as the chemotherapy and radiation treatments started.

The boys turned two and the cribs were replaced by child beds. Vernon tried moving Harry to an extra bedroom across the hall from his cousin, but Dudley just dragged Harry back over to his room with him. Petunia and Vernon were awakened one night by a loud clattering and found the two boys trying to drag Harry's small bed back into Dudley's room.

The adults caved to pressure after that and decided the two boys would separate when they were ready. Dudley seemed quite protective of his smaller cousin and Harry was less anxious with another person sleeping nearby.

Petunia's treatments were completed and she worked on growing her hair back out. She rather looked forward to putting some weight back on. Nausea had subsided and she could now look at food as a pleasure instead of a chore. The Doctors could promise nothing, as one of the lymph nodes had shown that the cancer had possibly spread. They could only hope that the chemotherapy and radiation had halted it.

The boys turned three and when the family returned from a trip to Majorca arranged by Aunt Marge that summer they found another neighbor had moved in a few houses down. A spooky old lady with numerous cats now lived down the street. She seemed overly interested in the boys and constantly offered to babysit Harry. Vernon firmly responded with a 'no', saying it was not needed.

The boys had become happy playmates, though Marge was not happy about this. She firmly believed that Dudley should never have to share and that he should always win. Petunia held firm against her spoiling Dudley, limiting the number of presents she could buy for Dudley and warned that equal treatment was expected for Harry.

"I don't expect you to lavish presents on Harry – but if you buy for Dudley you need to get something for Harry as well." Petunia gritted through a clenched jaw.

Marge appealed to Vernon, but he'd asked a few friends at work about the situation, and the concesus had been that learning to share was essential to being a success in school – teachers frowned on those who didn't know how to do that, and while life was hardly fair – it didn't hurt to know how to _be_ fair in ones dealings. Not to mention that believing one should always win was a sure set up for a big disappointment in the real world.

Vernon had reiterated that to Marge rather firmly and she'd caved with very ill grace.

When the boys turned four Harry proudly moved all his belongings over to 'his room' and slept there without incident to Vernon and Petunia's relief. Harry's night terrors and dreams had subsided and he seemed to be doing much better with his confidence.

Petunia decided to introduce her boys to gardening the next summer. She'd always wanted a beautiful garden, and now she had a pair of eager helpers. They soon had rose bushes and lilies in abundance. The boys insisted on beds of petunia's in many colors as well. Many lunches were spent with the three of them proudly looking at their handiwork.

The garden shed was split between the tools and a small, hidden owlery. Lily's small spotted owl had shown up soon after Harry had appeared. It had been clutching a letter addressed to Petunia. The letter was to be delivered by the owl on her death, and held the request that Petunia care for Harry as her own and let Harry know how very much his parents had loved him. It also asked that Petunia occasionally write to Severus, as he had sworn to protect Harry if anything happened to James and Lily.

The initial letters between Petunia and Severus had been slow and awkward, far more so than the first letters between Lily and Petunia. Petunia remembered the dislike between the two of them and Severus was clearly depressed and grieving.

Petunia gently reminded him that Lily had forgiven him and told him about Lily's letters, and that Lily had expressed joy at regaining their friendship. Severus had responded with more life in his letters and said that Lily had been ecstatic that she and Petunia were reconciled. It wasn't a warm postal friendship, but they had Lily in common – and now Harry.

Severus had seemed indifferent to news of Harry at first, and then occasionally asked questions about him. Severus seemed to being looking for signs of Harry being spoiled or arrogant. Petunia understood Severus' bitterness toward James' son – who might have been Severus' under other, better circumstances. She emphasized Harry's shy demeanor, though when confronted by bullies on the playground he always stood his ground in defiance – even at age four.

Severus talked her through the occasional accidental magic Harry did, and Vernon was less leery of it since 'that Snape fellow' seemed to have it well in hand and none of the neighbors ever saw it.

Now that they were five and entering school, Harry was more confident. The teachers liked him and seemed amused by Dudley's protectiveness. Harry kept Dudley on track with his schoolwork, to Dudley's dismay. But he didn't want to be left behind by Harry at any point, so he sullenly did the work Harry insisted he do.

Then, at age six there was a conference with Petunia, the teachers and the school nurse. Harry had an eye problem. In spite of the glasses they had obtained the year before – and already changed out twice, Harry's vision was worsening dramatically. They were using words like 'might be legally blind' and terrifying Petunia.

She sent off a frantic owl to Severus who responded by showing up in her garden with a loud crack of apparition. It was a weekend, luckily, and some of Vernon's friends had a free pass for him to go golfing, to her relief. The weekend, of course was the only time Severus could slip away from Hogwarts.

Petunia showed Severus into the living room where the boys were playing a card game. Dudley spotted him first and yelped "Vampire!" Petunia looked horrified at this, but Severus seemed amused that muggle children had the same reaction to him that Hogwarts students did, and just smirked at the boy. Harry, though, was smiling up at the dark blur in front of him in puzzlement.

Severus studied the small figure in front of him. At first glance he seemed alot like James – but the messy hair was darker than James' and the face was more refined. The eyes, of course were all Lily's.

"I'm going to have a look at your eyes to see if there is anything I can fix, Mr. Potter, if that is acceptable to you?" Severus intoned.

Harry and Dudley giggled at the 'Mr. Potter', and Harry chirped, "Yes, Sir."

Severus pulled out his wand and cast a few diagnostic charms, and then shook his head. "His eyes were never going to have perfect sight – but there seems to be an old injury that caused more problems – I suspect that the curse the Dark Lord cast may be responsible – it caused the scar on his forehead. That is close enough to the eyes to possibly be the culprit."

Dudley and Harry were avidly listening to all this, though they didn't really understand. Petunia, though was wringing her hands and asked "Is there anything to be done?"

Severus nodded. He'd firecalled Lucius before coming here and had the name of a 'discreet' Healer that specialized in eyes. Severus had refrained from naming who needed the healing. Lucius knew Severus would tell him if he needed to know. Severus had almost asked Dumbledore, but he was wary of the Headmaster, now. Petunia's observations had hit home.

They both knew that Voldemort was not gone, and Severus had agreed to help Albus fight him when he returned. Severus now found it hard to stomach Albus letting him take the prophecy to Voldemort, though. On reflection he realized that Albus had used him – let him be guilty of betrayal, rather than risk that Voldemort might never hear of the prophecy.

Albus might have stopped one of his beloved Gryffindors from doing anything so stupidly destructive to themselves ... but a Slytherin? ... Albus had no difficulty in letting him blacken his soul if it was of use to the Order's cause.

Severus shook his head and stood. He had Petunia leave a note for Vernon and gathered them up. He portkeyed them into a corner of Diagon Alley and they walked into the Healer's office. A few whispers to the medi-witch that invoked Lucius Malfoy's name and Harry was soon being seen by the Healer. The lightning bolt scar was glamored invisible by Severus, so the Healer just got to work.

There were a few spells cast deep into the child's eyes that made Harry jump and yelp a little, and potions that made him gag and sputter. Harry got a bit of a headache by the end, but a pain potion took care of that.

The Healer finally stepped back and Harry looked around in amazement, able to see clearly for the first time he could remember. Petunia smiled in relief and Dudley whooped and clapped Harry on the back.

The Healer carefullly folded the glasses and handed them to Petunia. "He has perfect vision at the moment – I fixed the damage done by a spell, and corrected his vision. It is possible in the future he might need glasses or more correction, but his eyes should be alright for years."

The bill was presented at the front desk and Severus waved Petunia off and simply lay his Gringotts key on the parchment and tapped it with his wand. A note promptly appeared saying the money was tranferred from his vault to the Healer's.

"Thank You, Mr. Snape." Harry said quietly, but earnestly to the impassive Potions Master.

"Yes, Severus, thank you so much." Petunia echoed, with Dudley nodding his head emphatically.

Severus bowed slightly and said, "You are very welcome, Mr. Potter." Harry and Dudley giggled a bit more at the honorific before they grabbed hold of the portkey and were taken home.

The school was a bit mystified by Harry's miraculous 'cure', but Petunia had play a ditzy 'I don't understand medical terms' parent and said that the Dr had called it 'retinal tears' and fixed it all with a laser. The teachers were satisfied. The school nurse looked puzzled, but shrugged and was happy that little Harry was doing well.

The muggle – wizard pen pal letters continued with not much new until a letter from Petunia arrived to Severus during the summer as Harry turned eight. Petunia had discovered that Harry's 'accidental magic' was no longer 'accidental'. Harry had been learning to make things happen on purpose – with Dudley's gleeful encouragement.

It was benign magic, really – getting the cookie jar down from the high shelf where Petunia had put it. Making a locked door open so they could see Harry's mum's owl in the garden shed. Things of a childish nature – but Petunia was worried that at such a young age Harry would end up in trouble of some sort – or attract Dumbledore's attention.

Vernon was concerned that the neighbors would see and cause them trouble. So far their neighbors look on them with a kindly eye and were quite helpful. Several worked at Grunning's with him and he wanted to keep them friendly – not terrified of 'freaky neighbors'.

Severus found himself once again apparating into Petunia's back garden. He noticed that tall flowering bushes now formed a colorful hedge around the garden, creating a small private retreat. The boys happily pointed out the work they had done, quite proud of all they'd accomplished with Petunia.

Severus nodded a bit absently, unfamiliar with the delights of gardening. Gardens had not existed in Spinners End and the greenhouses at Hogwarts were useful for his potions - making, but not a place of pleasure for him – they were work. Narcissa kept obsessively beautiful gardens at Malfoy Manor, but he doubted she worked on them herself, except to order the house-elves around.

Severus and Petunia sat at a small table on the covered patio, sipping lemonade. "So, he's learning wandless magic, then? I've brought some books – it's best not to try and make him stop – he may need the advantage it brings, one day. Just tell him to not let anyone know – especially the Headmaster Dumbledore. I am just becoming privy to some of his plans. I think you are right when you say it may not be in Mr Potter's best interests."

Petunia nodded without surprise, and Harry was called over. Severus explained wandless magic to Harry, with Dudley listening carefully. "I know that when you gesture to cause the magic you likely use your right hand – I want you to start using your left." At Harry's puzzled look he sighed. "You will, eventually get a wand – your magic will have difficulty with a wand when it is used to being unchecked when flowing through your arm. Leave your right arm for the wand – that way you will be able to continue using wandless magic through your left, at the same time that you use your wand – you'll be twice as dangerous, that way."

Harry and Dudley beamed at each other, "Wicked", they growled in concert. Severus smirked at them and handed Petunia a bag of books – he had brought many of his childhood wizarding books – ones his mother had managed to flee from Prince Manor with, teaching him the customs and history of the wizarding world.

He brought the first year spellbooks and potions manuals – Harry could at least leaf through them. He showed Harry the wizardspace bag to keep the dozens of books in, safely.

Severus also handed over a book to Petunia. It was about Wizarding law regarding minors and guardianships that she had requested. "I need to know my rights." Petunia had said in her letter determinedly. Severus merely nodded in agreement.

Severus did not hear from Petunia for several months, and then a letter arrived. The sentences were a bit disjointed and the paper showed signs of having been wept over. The cancer had returned just a month before the five year mark that would have meant she was cancer-free. It had spread and the doctors were gravely warning that they could buy time, but were not offering a possible cure this time around.

Chemotherapy and radiation were started once again. The neighbors gathered and one by one offered help – rides to the doctor or hospital if she could not drive. Assistance with housework and cooking was offered as well. The boys were old enough that watching them here and there was not difficult for neighbors. Meals were made and brought over for days when they knew Petunia would be ill.

Mrs Figg remained oblivious to all this. She'd made little effort to befriend the neighbors – prefering to stalk the Dursley's and Harry from a distance. So the news of Petunia's cancer never reached her ears. Truthfully, she was getting a bit bored with her 'assignment'. She didn't mind the free house – with her small savings and family inheritence it meant she could live quite comfortably. It was obvious to her that nothing bad was happening at the Dursley's, and following the two boys around very often made people look at her oddly. She was in a position to see the front of the Dursley house easily from her windows, so the past few years she stuck to observing from there for the most part, but she never saw any suspicious characters.

Arabella spent alot of time inviting her sister and cousins over for card games these days and flooing to Diagon Alley for tea with old friends.

Petunia spent the next year distracting herself from illness by helping Harry study his magic. Dudley was as avid a student in magic as Harry even though he couldn't perform any spells. Their schoolwork suffered a bit, but the teachers thought it was due to the boy's worry over Petunia's illness and cut them a lot of slack.

The daily reading and practice for Harry drew the three even closer. Vernon watched, fascinated, at times – though he hadn't like replacing the TV that had fallen victim to stray magic. It had been under warranty, luckily. They found that Harry had to stay a certain distance from electronics when practicing, and even then the lights flickered at times.

Vernon worried a great deal about finances after the first year of the return of Petunia's cancer, even with the neighbors help he had to take a great deal of time off work. Money was now quite tight and their savings dwindled alarmingly. Medicines could be expensive and there were so many extra things to see to. Special foods to tempt Petunia's appetite, a decent wig so she wouldn't feel shy going out ... the list was endless.

July arrived and the boys were turning nine. Vernon's vacation time had been used up taking extra days off, so they made short weekend trips this summer. Petunia wasn't up to anything energetic and they hadn't the money for anything really expensive, anyway. They decided one weekend to try the racetrack. Petunia had always loved to watch the horses run and the boys were fans as well. Dudley even followed the jockeys and trainers a bit. Harry just liked the horses.

To their relief wheelchairs were provided and entry to the track was cheap. They found a small box out of the sun and Petunia happily waved them off, "Go see the horses, I can watch things from here and read the program."

Harry and Dudley eagerly raced to the barns to see the horses up close. Vernon trailed behind them in resignation. Dudley happily pointed out the different stable colors and the trainers that worked for them. He pointed a few recent winning horses and Harry nodded obliviously.

Harry's eyes were suddenly drawn to a paticular bay horse, who was looking around avidly at his competition. Harry could feel the horses eagerness to be off and running. He inched up to the handlers and asked, "Can I touch him?" The indifferent stableboys shrugged.

Harry carefully touched the horse's shoulder, and then stroked his neck. The horse turned to him in curiosity and Harry touched his face, stroking down the side of the cheekbones and looking in his eye. Harry smiled after a bit and walked back to the mystified Vernon and curious Dudley.

"That horse hasn't won all year – came in dead last in his last race. Did very well last year – likely burnt out or injured, now." Dudley said.

"He says he'll win today ... he's not been feeling well until recently, I think he was sick and they didn't notice. He says he's going to beat them all, today." Harry said with a grin.

Dudley looked closer at the bay. "He does look good, right now."

Vernon shifted uncomfortably at the news that horses were talking to Harry, now. "Well, lets look at the others as well." He followed the boys around and looked the bay up in the program. He was in the second race and at very long odds – 70 to 1. If Harry was right they could clean up a bit of money. He didn't like doing things on the say-so of some magic trick, though ... so far nothing Harry had done with magic seemed all that useful. Floating pillows and all that nonsense.

They eventually got back to the box as the first race was announced. Vernon whispered Harry's findings to Petunia and she smiled. "I know you brought a few pound for us to have a bit of a flutter with betting. Go ahead and bet on Harry's horse ... it will be exciting."

The boys nodded eagerly and Vernon nodded in resignation. If Harry was right it would be the first time magic had been of any use that Vernon had been able to see. He got to the betting window and pulled out the few pounds. But how much to place on the long-shot? He sighed and put all the money down on the bay. The clerk looked surprised and the people behind him tittered and snorted.

Vernon grinned at the audience. "My boys insist he's a winner and the wife thinks he's pretty, so here we are – betting on him." The other men in line chuckled in sympathy and the clerk smiled, now sympathetic to his having bet such a loser. Vernon went back to the box, dignity again intact.

The horses for the second race soon lined up and were off. The boys cheered wildly for the bay and Petunia clapped happily as he overtook the leaders. There was a close-fought battle between three horses down the home-stretch, but the bay pulled two lengths in front, bouncing across the finish line a clear winner.

Vernon's eyesight swam and he clutched his chest, heart beating wildly. The boy had done it – he'd predicted a winner! People in the surrounding boxes smiled at the boys' excitement and Petunia beamed happily.

Vernon went and cashed in the ticket, and went back to the box with a large wad of cash. He happily contemplated being able to pay the mortgage payment on time this month and getting the past due electric bill caught up. He patted Harry on the head. Perhaps magic wasn't a complete waste of time.

Dudley relaxed and smiled. Dad had always been distantly kind to Harry, but looked at him in puzzlement and trepidation when he thought no one was watching. Harry doing 'something useful' with the magic apparently made him less threatening.

They spent the rest of the day happily cheering on various horses. Harry regretfully had to tell Vernon that 'none of the other horses had said anything about winning'. Vernon was not upset, though. He placed a pound or two here or there and Dudley picked a winner once. All in all an excellent day. They even stopped at a slightly fancier place for supper than they'd been able to afford lately. Vernon's happiness was complete when Petunia was able to finish her meal.

After that day, Vernon was less wary of Harry's magic. He still lived in dread of any neighbors ever accidentally witnessing something. But now he saw there was possibly an actual use for magic.

They went back to the track nearly every weekend that summer. Petunia enjoyed 'being out', but there was little exertion for her there, which was a relief. Dudley and Harry were becoming familiar with many of the stablehands and were allowed nearer the horses than most. Most of the stableboys were quite indifferent to the boy's peering in on the racehorses.

Harry became well-acquainted with several of them – the big bay that was his first winner in particular. The bay continued to always know when he was going to win, to Vernon's satisfation, and once the horse even had admitted ruefully when he knew 'that obnoxious grey' was going to beat him and win the race, and then complained endlessly about the other horse's attitude.

Vernon tried very hard to not place any pressure on Harry, he knew that this 'gift' was flighty at best – it depended on the horse 'knowing' he was going to win. More than once two horses were sure they would win. Vernon had juggled numbers in his head that time and placed smaller bets on both, hoping one of them was correct – luckily one was and the payout was good, so the cost of multiple bets had been acceptable.

Vernon was afraid to depend on this income much, so he simply caught up on bills and bought neccesities he'd been putting off. It did make the summer less stressful, and the weekend excursions happier, as Vernon did not feel like they were a drain on the wallet ... on the contrary.

He even managed to put away a bit, knowing that once the racetrack weekends ended the extra money did as well. Vernon had been dreading September, but there was now no putting it off. When he'd started at Grunning's Marge had given him a classic car to drive. Vernon drove it to impress clients and left the family car for Petunia most of the time. Now Petunia was too weak to consider ever getting behind the wheel.

It just made sense to downsize and sell the expensive car. A friend at work contacted his brother who owned a dealership, who was sympathetic to Vernon's situation as he had lost his wife to cancer a few years prior. Vernon was certain he wouldn't be cheated. To his surprise he got more for the car than Marge had paid for it. It was a pang to watch it go, but the relief at having the hefty check enter the bank account more than made up for it.

Marge, when she found out, was livid. Unfortunately she expressed her opinion after several drinks, saying that Petunia was quite selfish – expecting her family to bankrupt themselves caring for her after already foisting her nephew on Vernon to have to raise ... practically taking the food from Dudley's mouth.

Vernon had turned an ugly shade of purple – after Petunia had turned an unhealthy pale in her guilt-stricken face. She knew the toll her illness took on her family – emotional as well as financial. Vernon had shouted and thrown Marge out with an admonition not to return. He and the boys had spent the evening reassuring Petunia that they loved her and were firmly behind her.

It was an early night, and after Petunia had drifted off and he could her Dudley lightly snoring, Vernon stopped in Harry's door.

"Harry?" Vernon could see Harry's wise green eyes blink at him sleepily.

"I know, Uncle Vernon – I didn't pay any attention to her." Harry answered quickly.

Vernon hesitated ... Harry was letting him off the hook, if he wanted to take the out that was offered. He shook his head – he wouldn't be able to sleep if he did that.

"Harry, I know I rarely say such things to you – I hardly remember to even tell Dudley how much I care for him, but you've never ... ever been a burden to us. You were a blessing, arriving when you did, taking our minds from dark events." Vernon shifted uncomfortably, while Harry beamed at him. "...And of course she's quite off base over any expenses – you've saved our bacon several times this summer with that bit of magic of your's with the horses ..." Vernon sighed and sank into a nearby chair.

Harry watched him sadly. Aunt Petunia and Dudley might be fooled by Uncle Vernon's reassurances, but he knew Vernon was worried. The money Harry had helped win had been a stop-gap, and the money from the car would plug the dike for a time, but Harry had found he could 'read' people a bit ... not exactly like reading the horses, but loud or intense thoughts Harry could sense – sometimes whether he wanted to or not. He'd not shared this ability with anyone.

Vernon got up, giving Harry a bracing smile and patted his shoulder, and they whispered their good nights.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

That school year seemed to fly by ... there was always so much to do. The boys soon started taking responsibility for more and more of the housework and chores. Harry liked cooking and fixed almost all the meals. Sometimes Petunia would feel well enough to help and the neighbors still made some meals when they knew Petunia was at the hospital.

Dudley made out a chart for himself, so he could make sure he kept up on vacuuming, dusting, dishes, and the rest of the household chores. He kept the chart on the fridge so he saw it frequently. Vernon always tried to do one or two when he had time and Harry tended to do dishes anytime he didn't cook.

Petunia grew weaker, and finally refused further treatments, saying that further courses of radiation or chemo was futile and she'd reather die more peacefully. The doctors hesitantly agreed and she came home for the last time as summer started.

The boy's tenth birthday's were quiet compared to years before, and their presents were much needed clothing. As the school year started Petunia could no longer be left alone. Some care was provided, but she really needed someone every day.

Vernon began cutting back – cable was stopped as well as every other service that was not essential, their savings was once again gone and he began quietly selling things off. His one hunting rifle, the golf clubs, tools and any valuable knicknacks and thier few antiques. Even the dishwasher and any furniture that Petunia wouldn't notice was gone.

They managed to survive until Petunia passed away just before Christmas. She'd called for them as she lay watching the snow fall outside and said goodbye with a peaceful smile. She'd already whispered advice to Harry and Dudley and made sure Vernon understood everything he needed to know.

She was laid to rest in cemetary with her parents, most of Privet Drive was there as well as the surrounding neighborhoods. They knew the family had struggled and hoped things would get better for them.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Vernon slumped in front of the coffee table that had the large stack of bills and the small list of their assets. His desk had been sold long ago. The life insurance had covered the funeral, but he had known they were in serious trouble. The mortgage was in default and the bank had told them they had a month to vacate. His job had regretfully but firmly let him go – he'd simply been gone from work too much.

It was spring break and they needed to make a decision. The remainder of the furniture was sold and the few momentoes they could not part with were in a storage unit. The boys were packed, the used furniture man would be along to take the last of the beds and sofa.

The boys only minded that the garden would be gone, and they fretted that the owl might not find them. Harry had finally sent a letter to Professor Snape telling of Petunia's death, but said nothing of moving - and told the owl to stay at the school to live and only come back if Severus sent him with a letter. Harry didn't want the owl that had belonged to his mother and Aunt Tuney to suffer just because times were hard for them.

They'd told friends and neighbors that Vernon had a job elsewhere and they all thought the furniture man was a mover. They failed to say where they were going.

Night fell and the furniture man arrived with a van and the rest of the money. Vernon had hoarded the last of the life insurance and his severance pay. The boys had sold their game systems and all their toys to a game shop, garnering a bit of cash. They hopped in the car, and drove off as Petunia's roses were starting to bud.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

A/N – A plot bunny that hopped around for awhile flinging carrots at me.


	2. Chapter 2

PB2

Disclaimer – I don't own the Potterverse, just having fun!

Chapter 2

Vernon drove through the night, the boys having curled up in the back seat with blankets and pillows. Vernon's heart thundered in agitation. He was nervous; he was going to take an acquaintance up on a casually made offer, hoping the man had been serious. His chest gave a painful twinge and he took slow deep breathes, forcing himself to relax and the tightness slowly eased.

During their many trips to Lingfield Park for the races during the summer, he'd eventually become acquainted with a few of the owners, trainers etc. He'd talked to them while the boys admired the horses and Harry tried to find one who was sure of winning. Several of them had lamented the lack of decent accountants that would charge rates they could afford.

Vernon was hoping to do some work for the stables – doing their books, helping figure out the taxes … anything they had need of, and he could undercut any of the other accountants. He had found an ad for a hotel near the track that charged by the week. He would need to decide quickly if they could stay, as he would have to enroll the boys in a school before family services caught up with them.

They got to Lingfield well before dawn and Vernon pulled the aging car over in a rest area, hoping no one noticed the children sleeping in the back. He pulled a blanket over himself and shivered a little. It wasn't warm as yet at nights and Vernon hoped they wouldn't have to stay in the car much.

Vernon cat-napped and woke with the sunrise and drove to the track with a pounding heart. He and the boys stumbled out of the car and to the nearest washroom to clean up and put fresh clothing on. Vernon got out one of the two suits he had packed and came out of the cubicle he'd been changing in – a difficult job, considering how small it was.

Luckily this part of the racetrack was mostly deserted at present – it would be packed in the afternoon for the races of course, the spring racing having started. Vernon pulled on the suit and tightened the belt, sighing. He lost a lot of weight that last few months, between the worry and lack of money. Food was no longer an indulgence. They bought the cheapest and no more than necessary. Luckily Harry was quite good at improvising and making things stretch.

Harry came up and plucked at Vernon's jacket. "Would you like me to make it fit, Uncle? I'm getting really good at it … I've been getting our slacks to lengthen and stretch to fit us – I'm sure I can shrink it a bit?"

Vernon blinked at him in surprise. "Certainly, Harry – just be careful – I only brought two suits, the rest are back in storage."

Harry nodded and grabbed the coat with his left hand and concentrated, muttering the incantation he'd looked up in the charms book Professor Snape had sent to Aunt Petunia. He'd found a lot of useful spells in that book. He soon had the shirt and pants fitting as well as the jacket. It wasn't an exact fit, but it looked much better, to Vernon's relief. It would be a mistake to look too desperate.

They left the washroom and Vernon sent the boys off with a bit of change to get breakfast. He walked slowly to the stableyards, feeling like a prisoner climbing the gallows. He managed a hearty "Morning!" to a few of the people he knew.

He finally saw McGurdy, who had said they needed an accountant to help with things … one who didn't charge an arm and leg. He hailed the man with what he hoped was a happy smile.

"Are you and your friends still needing an accountant and help with taxes?" Vernon asked, hoping he didn't sound desperate.

McGurdy nodded curiously, "Of course we do – can't afford most of them, and I can't make heads or tails of the bookkeeping I'm expected to do … I'm a trainer – I hate numbers."

Vernon nodded, relieved. Many of the trainers had small stables – they made a living, always hoping for big winners in the coming season, but added expenses were always unwelcome. He could offer good accounting at a lower rate … and their money would help him keep the boys off the streets.

He soon had a list of trainers and owners, and even a few jockeys that wanted either their books straightened out or their taxes done. They found an empty room right there at the stables for him to work in and promised to bring their boxes of bookwork in the morning.

The offered wage would keep a roof over their heads, he hoped. He met the boys at the food court with a lighter heart. They drove to the nearby by-the-week motel and Vernon spoke to the owner. There was some negotiating and Vernon was offered a lower rate if he paid for a month. Vernon hesitated, but he did have that amount on him. It would cut deeply into their money, but he would be guaranteed a roof over the boy's heads for a month.

He drove over to the front of the door of their new home and they unloaded. It was small – a sitting room / dining room, kitchenette, a decent sized bathroom, and a bedroom with two full-sized beds. Harry sighed," Well at least we're not sharing a single bed, Dud."

Dudley snickered and flipped on the small TV. "Well, just local channels, but at least we have that."

The unpacked the clothing into the closet while Vernon drove to the post office and took out a box for their mail to be sent to – in particular Harry's monthly check from the government. He hoped it didn't cause either social workers or the schools to decide they needed 'interventions'.

He quickly drove to the school as well, and enrolled the boys. He had to give the physical address there, and it did raise an eyebrow or two, but they said nothing to his relief. He supposed they would wait and see if the boys looked 'okay' when they started next week.

Harry and Dudley dumped the contents of the wizard bag until there was a large pile. They put the pots, pans and other kitchen stuff away, as well as the cleaning supplies. Then they dumped another large pile – bedding and more blanket, pillows and piles of clothing. At last they got to the books and school supplies. The bag had held a great deal, to everyone's relief.

Harry grabbed the charms book and waved his left hand, casting _scorgify_ over every surface he could get to.

"Better cast that pest away spell as well – these aren't called 'roach motels' for nothing." Dudley smirked.

Harry grimaced and cast the spell over and over against every bug and vermin he saw listed in the book. It said it would hold for two or three weeks, but he vowed to cast it weekly, just in case. There were a lot of housekeeping spells, but what he'd already cast was tiring enough.

Vernon had stopped at a grocery and picked up a few things, and something microwavable – that had come with the rooms to their relief. Harry would soon have a list of what they needed, he was sure. Vernon was quite pleased with what the boys had done, the rooms looked fairly cozy – and they even had pictures of the family up on the TV stand.

"I repaired the beds – I know you need a firm mattress, or your back hurts, Uncle." Harry said with a smile.

Vernon smiled back … the boys were being very good sports about this. "Thank you Harry, and I see the two of you have made the place quite homey."

He sat at the table and waved them over. "The business I've drummed up so far should keep us in rent with no problem – luckily it covers the heat, lights and water. Harry's monthly check from the government should keep us in food. With any luck business will increase to cover other things." Vernon said quietly.

"We'll get some after school jobs – and work during the summer." Dudley said stoutly, and Harry nodded along with him.

"I don't want you shirking your studies – although the work during the summer is a good idea." Vernon nodded. "We have a week before school restarts for you to look around."

"We'll be fine, Uncle." Harry said with determination, and they managed a three-way knuckle bump to seal it.

Vernon settled into the like-new bed with a sigh. He felt much hopeful than he had for months. Yes, they had seemingly lost everything … but they'd landed on their feet. He and the boys were together, he had work – so far, and they had a plan.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Harry and Dudley walked the half-mile to the track, enjoying the early spring day – it wasn't raining for once. Dudley was wishing they hadn't sold their bikes – but they'd needed the money, and they had nowhere to store them here and if left outside they'd be gone in an instant.

Vernon had left to start his work early; leaving what he hoped would do for groceries for two weeks. Harry had carefully planned meals for two weeks - Including bag lunches for he and Dudley for next week. He made out the list and he and Dudley had gone to the grocery store. They had found a paper with coupons to their delight and the store had some items that were' buy one get one free' to his relief.

He had been careful and had managed to get everything but couldn't get Uncle Vernon the coffee he liked. All he could have gotten was that instant stuff. Harry had ended up buying nothing. They'd gone back to the motel and put things away and had an early lunch and then started for the track.

Harry felt like he'd truly failed. Vernon loved his morning coffee, brewed with that special percolator. He always took a large thermos to work with him, saying he couldn't tolerate the regular stuff. Harry and Dudley had refused to let him sell the coffee maker - Harry had stuffed it in the bottomless sack and refused to get it back out.

They trudged to the stables, Dudley was eager to get work there, around the thoroughbreds he loved. Even if it was just to muck out their stalls. Harry hoped to convince the stable boys he could do the same. As luck would have it McGurdy had lost a stableboy – he'd run off with a bigger stable that offered more money, so he did have work for them.

Dudley jumped into the messy work with a grin. Harry was pointed at the large mound of very dirty saddles and bridles and given the leather cleaner. Harry was happy enough to do that instead of the mucking out.

They worked until close to supper and McGurdy paid them their money. It wasn't much - but if they were there every day, it would add up. Harry and Dudley stopped in the food court and used the washroom, cleaning up a bit. Harry was out first and found himself staring at the wealthy owners filing out of the VIP lounge. It just didn't seem fair – they likely threw away enough to keep Harry and his family in luxury every day.

They passed him and Harry noticed on old gentleman had his wallet hanging half out of his back pocket – with the thick wad of bills in it, it was no wonder it didn't fit. Harry thought swiftly and whispered a spell, making the wallet fall to the floor unnoticed. Harry fought hard with his conscience and then ran to pick it up.

"Sir …. Sir!" Harry yelled, attracting the man's attention. Harry ran up to him, holding out the wallet. "You dropped this." Harry shoved the wallet into the man's hand.

The small crowd of rich owners stared at him a bit, but the old man looked at him kindly. "Well, and here I was complaining about how disreputable the new generation was … you've made me eat my words young man." Harry flushed, feeling a bit guilty … still, he'd given the wallet back. "Here you are, have a good time on spring break." The man handed him some notes, and patted his shoulder, walking off with the group.

Harry glanced down and blanched. The man had handed him twenty pounds. Well, he'd known the man was rich, and it hadn't made a dent in the stack of bills in the wallet. He gripped the notes in his hand and ran with Dudley to the store. The large, economy size can of coffee would last Uncle Vernon the month.

His conscience whined about slippery slopes and shouted about one thing leading to another. He just smiled and told himself that Uncle Vernon had his coffee … and he would try to not do things like this more than he absolutely had to.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Vernon worked hard, and he had a fairly steady stream of costumers for bookkeeping and tax preparing. He had to undercut other accountants, so he couldn't charge a great deal, but he managed to bring home a bit more than he thought he would and made the next month's rent fairly easily. He was almost cheerful.

School was no different here than in Surrey. Harry made up schedules along with Dudley and they kept up with everything and still managed to work at the stables most afternoons and weekends. They both acquired some muscle and as the weather got warmer – tans.

One Saturday evening after they dragged home Harry sat next to the TV and picked up the unused cable cord. He'd experimented with some cable cords at the racetrack, 'feeling' the energy in them and letting his magic go back up to the source. He'd shorted out two of the cables, but he figured the racetrack could replace the cords easily – he hadn't killed the TV's after all. He was sure he had the trick of it now.

Harry plugged the cable into the back of the TV and gripped the cord, letting his magic very gently go up it – keeping the power to a faint trickle – that was the difficulty. He found his way up to the source and pushed gently into it and then pulled the energy back down the cord and let it flow into the TV.

Dudley whooped and laughed, "You did it … that's a movie channel that's on."

They scrolled though the channels that were now activated – Harry had missed a few, but had all the ones they really liked, as well as some movie channels. Vernon got home and gaped at the TV and looked at Harry suspiciously and then sighed.

"Just don't get caught – and don't blow anything up." Vernon finally said, and turned the channel to his favorite program. Harry smiled and high-fived Dudley. One more thing restored to Uncle Vernon.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

May had arrived and Vernon's business was starting to trickle off. Of course stables came and went. McGurdy had gone to Epsom for a few weeks, and then had come back. He had, for extra money, been showing some of them how to do their books properly, so some of them had not needed him so much.

McGurdy pulled him aside just before school ended. "Yeah might want to move on to either Epsom or Salisbury. I hear several of the bigger, richer stables might be lookin' to hire someone permanent for an accountant. At the least you'll have some fresh business – I think you've taught a few too many of the owners hereabouts how to take care of themselves." McGurdy grinned, and then looked at Vernon soberly. "I know you have the two lads to look after. Salisbury might be your best shot."

Vernon nodded dumbly. They had just settled into the motel. Of course that was not meant to be permanent. But he didn't want to uproot them to just go to somewhere else temporarily.

He laid out what McGurdy had said to the boys, who looked as dismayed as he felt. Harry, as always was the sensible one.

"Why don't we visit there this weekend – school will have ended and we can see if there is permanent work for you – and if there's housing we can afford. We've saved a bit – we might get an apartment, even." Harry smiled. "If we can make this place livable, think of what we can do with a bigger place."

Vernon nodded and Dudley looked less apprehensive.

They loaded into the car Saturday, carefully locking up. Salisbury was a bit of a drive and they left very early. The plain was beautiful, and they hoped to glimpse Stonehenge later. The racetrack was very nice and they found an owner they knew from Lingfield Park. He pointed out a stable that he had heard was needing a new accountant.

"Heard the last one tried to cheat the owner … the idiot." The man said. "Only an utter moron would try to cheat that man … everyone knows not to do that."

Vernon nodded and went toward the row of stalls the stable had taken for the season. Harry recognized the colors, and smiled. A few of the horses had been at Lingfield – including their old friend the bay, and the snooty grey.

Vernon spoke to the trainer, who waved the owner over to speak with him. The owner was quite impressive, and Vernon gulped a bit, meeting his eyes.

"I understand you are looking for work as an accountant?" The man asked in rather frosty tones.

"Yes, I am looking into moving to this area and would like a permanent position, as I have two eleven year old boys to look after." Vernon answered, he'd heard the man had a boy of the same age and hoped that would unfreeze him a little. He waved a hand toward the two. "This is my son Dudley and my nephew, Harry Potter."

The grey eyes flew open, to Vernon's surprise, and Lucius Malfoy sprained his neck whipping his head around so fast to look at the lightning bolt scar and the Avada Kedavra green eyes.

He was actually struck speechless for a few moments, and then cleared his throat. He desperately tried to figure out how to use this best. Harry Potter and his family were in his grasp … but what to do?

"Well, I have heard good things about you, of course …" Lucius had heard nothing, but that was hardly the issue. He dragged his eyes back over to Vernon reluctantly. It didn't matter if Vernon had difficulty putting one and one together and getting the right answer. He would have hired him for whatever job he wanted. "… I'm sure we can give you a position. The job comes with a house, of course, on the home farm. Where the horses are kept when they are not racing …"

Well, the position hadn't come with a house before … but Lucius wanted them at the Manor, under his wards while he figured out exactly what to do. Narcissa was a Black … and Harry's third – or fourth cousin. He was sure that would be important. Draco had always wanted a sibling. Harry was a blood relative.

Things could be arranged to benefit everyone.

Meanwhile Vernon looked quite enthusiastic about the house, as well as the pay Lucius mentioned. They shook hands and Lucius gave them directions to Malfoy Manor. They would arrive the next day.

Lucius waited until they left and apparated to home to consult with Narcissa.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

A/N – I know nothing about either racetrack, so I gave no details. However, the plot is thickening.


	3. Chapter 3

PB3

Disclaimer – The Potterverse belongs to JKR, I'm making nothing .

Chapter 3

Lucius apparated straight to his study and called for tea – and summoned some brandy to lace it with. He sipped slowly, he needed to think.

He was lucky to have found Potter this way, at the racetrack. Luckily, even during the worst times the Malfoys had had horses. It stemmed from their family coming from the Camargue region in the south of France. The place was well known for its white horses and black bulls. The horses of the Camargue had been there for millennia - long before even the Romans, dating back to times not recorded.

Lucius' ancestors had been there as well, guarding the bulls and riding the horses. Over the centuries the breed had evolved a bit – when the Moors invaded Spain, desert horses had been introduced to many European breeds, but the Camargue horses had maintained their white coats.

The Malfoys had split at one point, invasions and wars had affected even the sorcerers of the marshlands. Some had stayed and learned to ward their areas well and taught themselves more effective defensive magics. Lucius' family had left … taking some of the horses with them … and followed William the Conqueror into Britain. They'd assisted the King in his battles and had taken a large area of Wiltshire as reward.

William's court had whispered about magic and had called his family Malfoy – bad faith, alluding to their sorcery. The family had sneered and kept the name. The founders had already started Hogwarts and the Malfoy children were soon attending. The family had kept their white horses and occasionally sent for more of them, keeping track of their relatives still in the Camargue.

Horse racing - 'the sport of kings' - was always a favorite of the Malfoys, even after being introduced to flying horses. It did mean interacting with muggles, but there was a group of wizards who still loved the thoroughbreds and they worked together to keep track of what needed doing to stay on the good side of the Jockey Clubs.

While the Dark Lord was in power Lucius had put his entire stable in the hands of a couple of muggle breeders and trainers, saying he was going out of the country for an unknown period of time, hoping he could reclaim them in the future. He'd done so the moment the Wizengamot had cleared him.

With angry suspicion in most wizard's eyes, the racetrack had become a bit of a refuge for Lucius. All the muggles saw was a rich owner and treated him with the deference he liked. Soon other owners were including him in their conversations, testing his limited knowledge of the muggle world.

He usually let their conversations flow over him, nodding at intervals. Soon he hadn't been able to resist cashing in on some of the stock tips he heard about. He now had a rather large bank account in the muggle world as well as the wizarding one. Once in a while he would look in a mirror and scold his reflection, using words like 'hypocrite – blood traitor – muggle lover, etc.'

He usually laughed and answered himself – "Sly Slytherin, who intends to have a way out if necessary." It was as good an excuse as any for slumming it with muggles.

He'd picked up a newspaper once, scanning the headlines and staring at the non-moving pictures. An article caught his eye … it talked about overcrowding and the world population. The numbers mentioned were staggering. He'd heard there were a lot of muggles … millions, perhaps. Voldemort had said so, though they'd thought he was pushing it a bit.

The Dark Lord had been wrong – there were _billions_ _**… with a B.**_ He'd casually asked a nearby owner if the numbers were really correct, his voice croaking a bit as he asked. The muggle had grimaced.

"Afraid so, old boy, though they're likely lowballing it a bit." The owner said with a rueful laugh.

Lucius had been frozen with horror and had apparated home to Narcissa. He'd tossed the paper to her and then banged his head on the table, muttering. "Even if every Death Eater in the world killed non-stop for a century, we wouldn't be rid of them … even if every witch and wizard helped …" He moaned and muttered while Narcissa read. "… a muggle told me about a story he'd read, where a virulent virus got loose … killed almost every human in the world, but we don't want that either, just imagine the stench ... and we do need them around, just not in such numbers …" Lucius whimpered and banged his head some more.

Narcissa had finished the article and sighed, immediately accepting the inevitable ... they would never be rid of muggles and they should just accept it. "Stop that banging, Lucius, it's unseemly. "

"There aren't just millions of them, CIssa … there are billions _**… with a B**_" Lucius banged one more time.

"Lucius!" Narcissa said sharply and continued to think about the article.

Lucius stopped and pouted, Voldemort had lied … they **could not** win, and they needed every drop of magical blood available to not be bred out by the muggles entirely.

That had been two years ago. Narcissa had suffered through his pouting and depression and had been brainwashing Draco to start thinking muggles might be okay – if only as minions. Lucius had seconded her and started taking him to races, slowly introducing him to muggles.

"They seem okay." Draco had said in confusion. Not what he had expected, apparently.

Now Lucius had Harry Potter and his muggle relatives coming to live … but they had to play this right. It would be their ticket out of the pit the Dark Lord had dug. He needed Draco to understand the muggles' importance in this … the muggles would show the Malfoy's willingness to accept non-purebloods to the rest of wizarding society.

Eventually he went down to dinner and slowly spoke of what – and who - he had found to Narcissa and Draco. Narcissa understood immediately and nodded pleasantly.

"Having my cousin Harry Potter here at the Estate would be … auspicious." She said and took another bite of crème brulee.

Draco looked a bit confused, "Harry Potter is living in … poverty … with muggles?" Sounding a bit like he was saying _**'living on … Mars … with lepers?'**_

They retired to a sitting room and Lucius eyed Draco's slightly stubborn face. Unfortunately, although Lucius had refrained from much 'pureblood supremacy' talk – he'd been leery for some time of being tossed in Azkaban, after all – the Crabbes, Goyles and Notts had not been so tight-lipped. Draco was, of course, confused. His mother had been trying to steer him the way they needed – but his friends had been saying something else.

With reluctance Lucius pulled out a pensieve and slowly dropped a memory into the basin. Narcissa paled and turned away, pouring a glass of wine and looked out the window at the gardens and the field dotted with the white horses beyond it.

Lucius pulled Draco over to the basin and dragged him into the memory. It was a scene of carnage. It was a memory from years ago - MacNair was being initiated. He was just finishing killing a muggle man and then proceeded to rape and strangle the wife. Draco gagged and tried to leave, horrified at seeing his friends parents acting this way.

He panted in horror as the Dark Lord finished laughing in delight and stepped over the bodies to take MacNair's arm and brand him with the Mark. It was then MacNair's turn to scream as his arm smoked and burned. The new Death Eater moaned while collapsing to his knees. When it was done he said "Thank You, my Lord.", in a voice hoarse from his screams.

Draco was sure he would black out when he recognized his father stepping forward next. Lucius could have only just graduated from Hogwarts – his hair was not even grown out yet. Abraxas was behind him whispering sharply at the pale boy.

Draco was hyperventilating by this time, horrified by what his teenage father was about to do.

"If the Dark Lord returns, this is what will be demanded of you to enter his service … and he is unlikely to allow my son to decline the honor." Lucius said flatly, watching his younger self in disgust.

A boy was shoved in front of the young Lucius. He was perhaps a year or so younger and enough like him to have been his brother. The hair was a shade darker and the eyes blue … and he was crying. Lucius had not been happy with this. They were supposed to be doing something constructive to bring the muggles under control and get the Wizarding World behind them … how was this helping?

"Kill him." The wizard with the melted looking features said, and Draco realized that the mad looking monster was the Dark Lord … where was the splendid all-powerful leader he'd been told of? He watched the young Lucius gulp, but it was obvious to even Draco that this was a kill – or be killed moment.

The wand in the young Lucius' hand was raised and there was a whispered Avada Kedavra, followed by a green light - making the boy drop to the ground, dead.

Draco was sobbing by the time Lucius had a fresh Dark Mark smoking on his left arm. Lucius hadn't screamed, but he'd groaned and bitten through his lip, and then stood and thanked the smirking Voldemort while blood dripped down onto his shirt.

Draco was pulled from the memory, to his relief as more muggles were being pulled out of a cage and randomly tortured.

Draco panted, leaning on the desk for a moment and then ran for the washroom to vomit violently. He finally cleaned up and stumbled back into the room to sit across from his father. A house elf brought a tray with some tea and toast on it.

"Tell me what I need to do to help prevent the Dark Lord's return." Draco said after a long drink of tea.

Lucius gave him a proud smile and nodded. Narcissa sat by him and gave him a hug, and then they started to plan.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~

Vernon and the two boys were euphoric on the ride back to the motel. They even stopped to get Indian curry take-away. It had been a favorite before money had gotten tight. Dudley and Harry spent the evening packing up. The bottomless bag was pressed into service again. Vernon spent part of the evening calling all his clients to tell them of the move to Salisbury.

He hoped to be able to continue to do their books as well, as he was likely to be at the Salisbury racetrack a great deal. He wasn't sure how much time Mr. Malfoy's affairs would take – they would just have to wait and see.

At last everything but a change of clothing was packed and they went to bed. Vernon was awake for a time after the boys were sleeping peacefully. His heart was beating rather hard. He did the calming exercises and it eventually his heart was soothed. The exercises had really been shown to Petunia, but Vernon had been making use of them as well.

It seemed too good to be true, and he dreaded finding out that the 'house' was a shack, or that the wage 'was for the first month and then we re-negotiate, or that some other catch was in place. He finally fell asleep, juggling number in his head.

They traveled back to Salisbury the next morning and turned down a very quiet side road, heading toward New Forest National Park. The area seemed surprisingly empty of people, though they saw some farms through the thick hedge, and a few large houses. Harry had felt a prickle of energy pass over him when they had turned onto the road. It troubled him … it felt a bit like magic.

They turned down the first road on the right as they had been directed to, and it wound through a very tall decorative hedge on either side of the narrow road, and finally came out into fields with white horses and gardens in the distance. A huge Manor house could be seen, and Vernon gaped as he drove the elderly car up to the circular drive in front of the impressive house. He wouldn't have dared park it there, but Mr. Malfoy had told him to.

They had barely exited the car when Lucius appeared at the top of the stairs to wave them up with a welcoming smile. He showed them into a sitting room with a large bay window overlooking the formal gardens … the aggravated white peacocks were even out, shrieking at the playful horses.

Narcissa had ordered up a lavish afternoon tea and then told the elves to not show themselves to the visitors under threat of clothing. She stood and offered her hand to Vernon with a smile – he seemed nice enough, and the strapping young lad next to him was obviously his son … and then there was Harry Potter, lightning bolt scar right where the stories had said.

He was smiling happily around and gave a pleasant, "Pleased to meet you, madame." right on cue.

Tea and a selection of watercress, ham and smoked salmon sandwiches were offered, along with scones and clotted cream. Lunch had been hours ago, so the boys were glad to see it. Narcissa asked after their journey and made a bit of small talk. The closest stores and shops were spoken of – she'd had to do some quick research the evening before to find out about them.

Finally, as they expected, Vernon asked after the closest school, "…I want to get them enrolled for the coming year right away."

Narcissa and Draco's eyes cut to Lucius and he sat forward. Time to go for broke. He cleared his throat and looked over to Vernon, and asked quietly. "Will Harry not be going to Hogwarts, then?"

The three froze like spotlighted deer. Vernon looked at Lucius closely, mulling over the implications of that question. "Are you a … a wizard, then?" He asked hesitantly, if he wasn't then Vernon would sound extremely daft.

In answer Lucius took out his wand and accioed a book –'Hogwarts, A History' and offered it to Harry. Harry took with a smile. "We have this one … but I think this is a newer copy … has it been updated?"

Lucius lifted an eyebrow in surprise – so they weren't totally unaware of the wizarding world. "No, not recently. I'm glad you are aware of our world … but again, are you going to Hogwarts?"

Vernon sighed and answered, "I'm quite glad we have met you … perhaps **you** can answer that, actually. Harry's Aunt insisted that his schooling has already been paid for by some Great-Uncle or other. If this is true, I do hope that Harry's monthly check from the government will cover any other expenses."

Lucius nodded, relieved that Vernon wasn't against a magical education … though it would have been amusing to hear Dumbledore rage if Vernon had said no. "I am a school governor … I can find out for you, but I assure you that expenses will be no problem – there is scholarship money if Harry's vault is empty."

"Vault?" Vernon answered blankly.

Lucius nodded to Narcissa, who raised an eyebrow – so Dumbledore had told them nothing.

"Yes – the wizard bank – Gringotts is where the Potter family vault should be. Harry's grandfather was the youngest of four but his father was an only child so he would have got everything his parents left. I honestly don't know the state of their finances, but there was a house in Godric's Hollow …" Everyone knew that, Lucius mused. "… and the vault should have something in it, though apprenticeships to the Auror academy are expensive, and James Potter had just finished with it when he died – but there should be _something_ there."

"Well, excellent – I'm glad Harry will have that to get started in the Wizarding world with. " Vernon beamed at Harry. He'd been right worried that Harry would not be able to enter his parents world, and that would have been a shame … he was going to be a splendid wizard … Petunia had said so.

Lucius was pleased at Vernon's response and Narcissa nodded in approval as well. Vernon had made no noises about getting his hands on Harry's money. An honorable man, then.

"Well, I have another surprise as well." Lucius sat up straight again and swirled his tea, the first part had gone well and Draco looked pleased that Harry was definitely going with him to Hogwarts. "I mentioned your grandmother …" Lucius looked at Harry. "… her maiden name was Black. Narcissa's maiden name is also Black …" Lucius waited while Harry's face lit up at this news.

Harry looked over at the pretty Mrs. Malfoy who was smiling a bit fondly. "Are we related, then?" Harry asked breathlessly.

Narcissa smiled - after all this boy was going to keep Draco out of the Dark Lord's clutches – she didn't care who his parents were - and nodded, "I gave up figuring out how many times removed we are, so I thought we could just call each other cousin."

"I would very much like that, ma'am." Harry smiled at Narcissa and a grinning Draco.

"Why don't you take them to see the horses, Draco." Lucius waved toward the fields.

Draco nodded eagerly. "Yes, they are from the Camargue in France, where the Malfoy family came from originally. They are great for riding, even if they are a bit small – rarely reaching 15 hands …" Draco's dissertation continued on out the door as he led them to see the curious horses.

Lucius looked over the now nervous Vernon – he likely wondered if they only wanted Harry. "You may not be a blood relative, Mr. Dursley, but you are Harry's uncle, so you are a part of the family as well. The wizarding world is rather clear on that, so we welcome you as well."

Vernon looked relieved and they finalized a few details on the 'accountant job', to Vernon's relief.

Lucius then stood to take Vernon over to the house they had prepared, the boys caught up with them when Draco saw where they were headed. It was a dower house – rather large and splendid as well. It was hopefully not so large that Vernon would reject it out of hand. It had only five bedrooms so they shouldn't be crowded and could have guests over. Still, Vernon gulped and paled at the sight of it.

"I included some furniture, of course and the place heats and cools on its own – just announce if a room is too hot or cold, it will adjust. And you have a cook, of course." Lucius explained as best he could about house-elves and then just called one. They all yelped, and Vernon paled, but the boys thought it was brilliant – no more house-cleaning or cooking.

"I want you to consider this your home, now", Lucius said earnestly – and in particular to Harry. "You are family, and this house is now yours, Harry." A spark shot from Lucius to Harry, sealing the deal, Lucius explained. "I understand that Harry is protected by blood wards ..." Dumbledore always harped on that if anyone mentioned Harry. "... If you like, we can raise the blood wards tomorrow – then the place will be yours as well, Dudley, as you are the one with his mother's blood. As Dudley's father and Harry's guardian you are considered the Head of this particular House, Vernon, so it is yours, too."

The three nodded, a bit overwhelmed at suddenly being home-owners of a magical house, and Lucius left them to get settled.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

The three fell into a routine with little problem. Vernon soon learned the routines of checking on racehorses at various tracks. And seeing to the horses at the home Estate and the expenses for each. He was already familiar with most of those aspects from the other owners and trainers he had done bookkeeping for.

He sometimes worked in a small study in the manor house, or at Salisbury Racetrack, as there was always a few Malfoy horses there at any given time.

The boys explored the Estate together, and Dudley and Harry learned to ride on the patient Camargue horses. To Harry's delight Rusty and Snooty were there in the stables (the bay and the grey).

Lucius found Harry stroking the bay's face one day and talking to the bright eyed racehorse. "You seem rather fond of him, Harry."

"Oh, he's my favorite." Harry smiled. "I found him on our first trip to the racetrack … he was looking eager and when I touched him he told me he would win – and he did." Harry grinned at Lucius. "He was at 70-1 odds, so we cleaned up that day with our bet on him." Harry sighed in remembrance. "Aunt Petunia really enjoyed those trips – especially when we got to see Rusty – he was our favorite horse to watch run, even when he didn't win." Harry laughed. "One time he said that Snooty – the grey - was going to beat him and then complained about his insolence."

Lucius had caught his breath a bit, hearing about all that. Being able to speak to animals in any fashion was the mark of a very powerful wizard. Of course he'd already known that, but it was good to have it confirmed.

"I'm glad he brought some enjoyment to your Aunt." He answered, thinking swiftly. He wondered what other things Harry could do. He needed to consult with Severus – but carefully. He simply didn't know exactly where the man's loyalties were … he never had, in spite of the Dark Lord's confidence in the man.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

A/N - yes, the lexicon says that Charlus and Dorea weren't Harry's grandparents … there are in my very AU story, here.


	4. Chapter 4

PB4

Disclaimer- making no money, just having fun with JKR's characters.

Chapter 4

Severus watched Albus twinkle and beam during another tedious staff meeting with distaste. Albus and Minerva were rather sickening in their pride that Harry Potter would be arriving in the coming year. Filius rolled his eyes on a regular basis; he'd adored Lily as well, of course, as she'd been a top student in Charms. Sprout was looking worried – and well she should since Albus could not be swayed in this lunacy about the Sorcerer's Stone.

Minerva and Albus kept eyeing him during meetings, waiting for an explosion of malice regarding 'the Potter spawn'. He'd remained stone-faced and indifferent to the subtle taunts from the Gryffindors. Severus could only assume they wanted hostility from him toward the Potter boy … for what?

He supposed that Albus didn't want Severus looking out for Harry other than to make sure he didn't get killed while at school. Keeping Severus' hatred of all things Potter well stoked would be a good way to do that.

Over the last few years several troubling things about Albus had attracted his attention. Once when a rather rich, very, very distant relative of the Potters had asked after Harry … obviously seeing if there was a way to adopt him into her family … Albus had whipped out an old letter from Petunia – one she'd written to see if she could accompany Lily to Hogwarts. The letter clearly showed the love Petunia felt for Lily and the anguish she felt at being separated from her.

There wasn't a dry eye in the room after the letter was read – except for Severus' of course. Albus had waxed poetical about how well Harry would be cared for by the woman who had written that letter … the many indulgences that he likely had lavished on him. Any time Harry was mentioned by anyone he would go on about his extravagant lifestyle … without ever actually saying the Harry was spoiled of course. If Severus hadn't known exactly how Harry lived he'd likely have developed a very real resentment over it.

It became obvious that Albus had no idea of exactly what went on at the Dursley household. Petunia did indulge the boys at times, but they had chores and were expected to behave like young gentlemen. Never once did Albus mention Petunia's illness. Of course it was possible that Albus didn't want everyone to know that Harry's main source of blood magic was dying … but still – he should have said something to Severus.

The letter from Harry about Petunia's death had left Severus on edge. He'd waited … and waited … and waited for Albus to mention it … surely they needed to transfer the blood wards to Dudley? Had Albus and Minerva done it themselves? Why didn't Albus mention it, though?

Then on spring break Albus and Minerva had cheerfully discussed at length during a staff meeting that the Dursley's and Harry were, perhaps, vacationing at the seaside – or maybe camping this year. Severus now noticed that they were careful to not perjure themselves. They 'speculated' about it all, but in such knowing tones that their listeners were sure that it was fact.

Never the less, they were going on about Harry's family – and Petunia - when Albus at least should be aware of the fact that she was dead. Severus had wondered and wavered, afraid of alerting Albus to the fact that he had been in contact with Harry and his family through the years. Severus had long since become a bit disillusioned by Albus. At best he was thinking only of a war that may or may not occur, or at worst he was using them all as chess pieces in a game that might not be in everyone's best interest.

Summer had arrived and Severus finally decided he needed to speak to Harry before the school year. The week after they'd put the noisy brats on the train he'd gone to Privet Drive – to find a new family living in the Dursley house.

Severus' mind had raced, trying to make sense of this. Had Albus spirited them away? Had Death Eaters done so … now that Petunia was gone? Another part of him cynically wondered if Albus had a clue as to _anything_ that was going on here on Privet Drive. Severus knocked on a few doors, saying truthfully that he was a friend of the family and 'had lost track of them'.

The neighbors had tried to be helpful. He heard the sad tale of Petunia's death occuring just before Christmas. Severus had known that, though not in such detail … Harry had been brief in his letter. All any of them knew was that Vernon and the two boys had packed up and moved on spring break. No one – including the children - had heard from them since.

It had taken time, but Severus recalled that kids had to be in school or suffer the wrath of Child Services. Severus quickly questioned a secretary in the local school, applying a bit of legilimancy, and found where they had finished out the rest of the year – or at least the school that the boy's transcripts had been sent to.

Severus found that school and finally, with relief, got an address. He was dismayed to find himself in a shabby 'by the week' place. It seemed inhabited mostly by stable workers and some down on their luck types. No one appeared very dangerous to his eye, which helped him relax a bit. The owner / manager was helpful with further information after Severus slipped him some money.

Vernon and the boys had been working at the racetrack and they had moved on the Salisbury – presumably to the racetrack there. Severus had gone back to Hogwarts after that to consider his options. Now July was here and Severus needed to do _something._ Listening to Albus blather on about Petunia likely indulging Harry in a lavish holiday was intolerable when he knew that she was dead and the Dursleys and Harry had been forced to leave their home.

It wore hard on him that the family had struggled and he'd known nothing of it. The owner of the by the week place had said they were 'doin' okay' and that Vernon had been offered better work. Severus hoped that was true.

Severus finally came to a decision stood with an irritated scowl, interrupting more talk from Minerva about how 'cute' the street Harry lived on was. "I believe we've discussed everything of importance. I need to be off to my home on a 'not as cute street'. I likely will need to gather a bit of patience for the coming year."

As he swept from the room, out of the corner of his eye he noted a satisfied smile pass between Albus and Minerva. Severus was already packed and he dashed off a short note to send to Harry on the way out. He went to the owlery and noticed that the spotted owl belonging to Lily … and then Harry was there. He attached the note and told the owl. "Bring any reply to my home on Spinners End."

The owl hooted and took off quickly. Severus went home to fume about Albus and worry about Harry.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Harry and Dudley ran to the stable early in the morning, as they did every morning these days. Draco joined them; it had taken time for him to come to terms with brushing out his own horse and saddling it. Dudley had been right though – the horses did respond better to those that took care of them. They had not been able to talk him into mucking out stalls – but Draco felt that neither of the other boys really missed it either.

They spent most days riding out on the trails – even into the New Forest preserve and taking a lunch with them. Draco had wanted to just summon an elf, but once in the preserve they could possibly be seen by muggles. They were always back soon after lunch and then 'exploring the muggle world for Draco and exploring the wizarding world for Harry and Dudley' with Narcissa.

Lucius and Narcissa took Harry and Dudley to some Quidditch games in France and Spain – making sure Harry had a hat pulled low over his forehead. In return Draco was introduced to soccer and soon was a rather rabid fan, though he was having a hard time picking out which team he wanted to back. Draco was becoming more at ease in the muggle world, though he left the talking to the others. Still, going to the horse races was still everyone's favorite – especially if Rusty was running.

Vernon was more at ease with his duties and they all were settling into the house. Their belongings from the storage shed were fetched and with the rest of the family pictures on the wall, they felt much more at home.

Harry and Dudley had gone to the local Pony Clubs, paid for by Marge before she'd been banished from their family. They weren't expert riders by any means, but they had the basics down. Now, with daily excursions they were becoming quite good. The Camargue horses were patient but fast and agile, so the two boys quickly learned to stay on no matter what. A stablehand that had some free time taught them how to fall correctly, as well – a talent as useful as how to stay on.

They watched thoroughbreds breezing around the small track that surrounded the pastures, wishing they were allowed to ride them. The trainer was a relative of the Malfoy's from the Camargue – one with no interest in any magical work – only wanting to work with the horses. Stablehands and the riders who worked out the horses there at the Manor stable were mostly older wizarding students who were earning money on their summers off. One or two were squibs or those with little magic who wanted to stay in the magical world in some capacity and had of love of horses.

One stable worker named Marin was assisting the trainer; he was a squib who knew that positions in the magical world for trainers were few and hoped to work in the muggle world but needed to learn the trade and learn to function in the muggle world. He'd become the boy's impromptu riding instructor and Dudley and Harry were giving him pointers on passing himself off as a muggle.

Marin had managed to get a driver's license, though Harry thought that someone must have cast a _confundus _on the tester for him to pass. Soon Marin was taking the boys to town for movies and lunch at unhealthy fast food places. Slowly both Marin and Draco got more comfortable in the muggle world, and Harry and Dudley learned more about the wizarding world.

Narcissa conducted a 'getting to know wizards' class in the evenings. She'd been surprised and uncertain when Dudley joined them, but Dudley had eagerly said that 'even if he couldn't really join in it, he loved to hear of it and very much enjoyed going to some events when he could'. She'd nodded, smiling, and hoped he never became jealous or resentful like some did.

At the beginning of July, just as the horses were being turned loose back into their pasture a familiar spotted owl winged its way to Harry's outstretched arm. Harry was glad to see Ditto – as they'd taken to calling the spotted owl. He'd hoped that Professor Snape would contact him, now that they were settled into the Malfoy Estate. It would have been embarrassing to have him visit before.

Harry took the letter and told the owl to wait at Harry's new home – waving toward the dower house. Dudley and Draco trailed behind him as he wandered toward the Malfoy house; both of them recognized the handwriting. Dudley was pleased to see Professor Snape reconnecting with them. Draco was mystified as to how his godfather knew Harry.

The three went to the sunroom where Narcissa usually conducted the 'lessons' along with serving afternoon tea. Harry was a bit wary. Aunt Petunia had always said to say nothing of Snape having known them – unless he told them to, as it might be dangerous for him for any of a dozen reasons.

Harry quickly opened the letter and read it swiftly.

_Mr. Potter,_

_**Where in bloody hell are you?**_

_I expect and immediate answer – tell the_

_dratted bird to take the reply to Spinners End_

_Aggravatedly,_

_Professor Snape_

Harry chuckled. He was still doing so when Narcissa entered. She recognized Severus' writing as well and stopped. Uncertain as to what it meant she swiftly went to Lucius' study and brought him in to speak to Harry.

Lucius glanced at the writing in the brief letter, verifying that it was from Severus and sat next to Narcissa on a couch.

"I see you are acquainted with a friend of mine …" Lucius began, hoping that indeed Severus was truly a friend. " … a Professor named Severus Snape?"

Harry hesitated a long moment. He could feel Lucius and Narcissa's intense interest in this, but couldn't tell if it was good or bad for Severus. He did know, from subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – comments that Lucius did not like Dumbledore and he must not be _**for**_ Voldemort since he had welcomed Harry Potter and a pair of muggles into his estate. Harry knew that all this could be a well-organized plot, but he decided to leave it to Severus to sort out.

Harry nodded, "Yes, he was a friend of my mother's and he kept in touch with my Aunt as well." Harry kept it simple – Professor Snape could likely explain all that away if he needed to. Harry shoved the letter in his pocket. "Would it be okay if I answer it?"

Lucius waved Harry to his study, intending to ensure that Severus arrive immediately while Narcissa spoke rather absently to Draco and Dudley about the upcoming school year.

Lucius shoved parchment and a never – out quill at Harry. Harry sighed, but Snape had made Petunia have Harry practice with a quill and parchment that he sent her, so Harry was pretty good with it.

_Dear Professor Snape,_

_Sorry I didn't let you know that Vernon, Dudley and I relocated_

_after Aunt Petunia died. Uncle Vernon found a very nice job here _

_on Malfoy Estates with relatives of mine. We have a magic house and_

_everything. Uncle Vernon can explain everything else when you visit._

_Hope you can come over soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry Potter_

Harry knew that Lucius was reading the letter he wrote, even if it was up-side down. He didn't mind, it would save him the trouble of telling him what he'd written. Harry carefully rolled it up and Lucius called for his eagle owl to send off the letter.

"Severus and I went to school together, I was a few years ahead of him, but we were both in Slytherin together. He's Draco's godfather as a matter of fact." Lucius tried to give the information casually, but his mind was once again racing. Sending the letter by owl instead of showing Harry how to do a firecall gave Lucius and Narcissa precious time to figure out how this might work in their favor.

Lucius shooed Harry back to Narcissa and thought rapidly. Severus, of all people, knew that Lucius had absolutely _**not **_been imperioused by Voldemort. Lucius had never really been able to figure out where Severus' loyalties lay ... one reason Lucius greatly admired Severus. Someone who could hide their motives from Lucius was someone to be respected.

Now though, if Severus was helping harry Potter – and Dumbledore was unaware of it … well, there was perhaps a third side to the war. One that wasn't a fanatical blood purist madman or an ivory-tower white wizard who didn't recognize anything that wasn't his idea of correct. Severus knew grey areas and shadows and knew how to navigate them.

Lucius awaited the arrival of Severus' return owl with anticipation – sure enough Lucius' eagle owl returned with the reply, tail feathers smoking and a rather outraged look on his visage.

Harry apologized to Narcissa who nodded – also anxious to hear Severus' reply.

_Harry,_

_THE MALFOYS?_

_Tell Lucius I will be there for dinner at seven and_

_both he Vernon had best have an explanation._

_Yours,_

_Severus Snape_

Harry laughed uncertainly. There were a lot of undercurrents he did not understand, but it was fun to watch Lucius' left eye twitch - it always did when Lucius was under a strain, it seemed. He hoped that Severus would let him know what was going on, Aunt Petunia had trusted him a great deal and he was always forthcoming with information whenever he had visited.

Harry handed the letter and watched Lucius put a hand to the corner of his left eye to make it stop twitching.

'Wonderful'. Lucius thought. Well he couldn't expect Severus to trust Lucius without a minor confrontation on issues … such as loyalties, expectations, plots regarding their future, etc.

Everything depended on whom Severus was loyal to … and Lucius well remembered Severus' suicidal plea to Voldemort to spare Lily Evans Potter. The fact that he had actually persuaded the Dark Lord to spare Lily if he could had been amazing.

Lucius sent a quick message to Vernon about the dinner with Severus that would be at Malfoy Manor, for 'everyone's convenience' … especially Lucius'. Plus he suspected that Severus would take the news better from Narcissa. The boys dressed up a bit and Narcissa donned a pretty gown that wasn't so dressy as to put Severus on edge. Lucius fought to keep from pacing while everyone waited in the sitting room. At last the floo sounded and a hostile looking Severus was shown in by a house elf.

The three boys leaped to greet the Professor and he held off his interrogation until he was done inspecting all three boys. Lucius bristled a bit as he recognized that Severus ran a diagnostic over Harry – likely looking for coercion spells. Lucius did not mind that he cast the spell, but it was aggravating to see the other wizard casting wandlessly and wordlessly with such casualness. Bloody Snape had alot more raw power than Lucius, which he usually didn't mind - unless Snape insisted on flaunting it this way.

Finally Severus sat on a sofa, the boys crowded around him chattering about the horses. Severus let them do so while he eyed the other three adults. Narcissa called for a glass of his favorite wine and sent over a tray of artichoke tartlets – also a favorite of his.

At last the boys wound down and Severus managed to get a sentence in.

"Imagine my surprise to find Harry and his family … here." Severus managed to say this quietly.

Lucius hesitated and Vernon jumped in. "Perhaps I should start …" Lucius nodded in agreement. "… I need to explain one thing – even before Petunia was ill, well we were living above our means. The mortgage was co-signed by Marge and larger than we should have taken … the two cars, even though Marge bought the one. She bought expensive vacations for us … but we still had to pay for the tours there and the expensive meals. We'd have been okay if disaster hadn't struck. And of course her treatments were covered and all … but I missed a great deal of work and once you fall behind on things … it's so difficult to catch up. When I sold the car and argued with Marge – she stopped giving me 'loans' to help cover things … then it really went downhill …"

Severus nodded in understanding … Lucius of course looked a bit mystified, but he nodded as well.

I missed so much work by the time she passed away – my job let me go. Vernon looked at Severus in apology. "I would have let you know all this … but I was afraid Dumbledore would snatch Harry away … Petunia said he had far too much interest in him."

"A wise woman …" Narcissa murmured.

Severus heard the undertone and filed that away. The pureblood princess was voicing approval of a muggle. Fond as he was of Narcissa, he also knew her weak points.

"At any rate … I was able to keep us together, though not in luxury by any means." Vernon said ruefully. "Then this opportunity with Mr Malfoy turned up and we found out that Mrs Malfoy is a relative of Harry's. I must say I was quite relieved … they can help Harry get about in the magical world … I know you have Dumbledore looking over your shoulder, so you might not be able to give him a hand as much as you would like."

Severus nodded slowly while Lucius stood near the fireplace mantle, leaning on it artfully and trying to keep his eye from twitching. Severus thought he should perhaps have taken a calming draught.

Narcissa stood and shook out her skirt, and announced dinner. They filed in and they boys did her proud – behaving very well, indeed – a few etiquette lessons had been added into the others. Not that Petunia hadn't done a good job on them, but some of the purebloods they might meet were very stringent in what they expected.

Lucius held her chair and she rang for the first course. Severus sat at her right and she proceeded to drop a few hints to him … Yes they no longer thought much of a certain 'Lord' … Lucius had heard there were billions of muggles - 'with a b' - and the aforementioned 'Lord' could not possibly deal with them all …

This was said with a smile at Vernon and Dudley, hoping they took no offense. They smiled in return, likely not realizing she spoke of Voldemort.

She continued as the main course arrived, with a smile now on Harry, who was at her left. "I was so very happy to meet my cousin and we were honored have he and his family join us on the Estate. We _**welcome**_ them …"

Severus took that in and glanced at Lucius who was looking at him intently. So … they were disillusioned with Voldemort and Harry was their ticket out. Fine … he smirked quietly to himself, making Lucius twitch again. Dumbledore needed to be held in check where Harry was concerned. Severus could only do so much, so having a powerful family of purebloods out to protect themselves with Harry would be excellent.

"Well, Dumbledore certainly does not have Harry's best interests at heart." Severus said with a smile. "Any ideas on how to impede him?"

The others sat back in relief and Narcissa rang for the next course. Severus had accepted their defection from the Dark Lord's cause and was on their side in the matter of him staying at Malfoy Estate. Lucius felt the left eye relax and stop twitching. The details could be discussed later, of course. Meanwhile they happily told Severus the plots they'd already started – making the Potionsmaster snicker … Albus would have a fatal stroke – if they were lucky. He shared the Sorcerer's stone plot Dumbledore had in place, making a few jaws drop in astonishment.

Severus took Harry aside after an ultra-sweet desert that Severus swore he could feel raising his blood sugar to coma - inducing levels.

"Is everything really okay, Harry … no concerns at all? I can make other arrangements for you if there are …" Severus asked quietly.

Harry shook his head, "No, our only worry was for you … we weren't sure if contacting you would get you in trouble."

"Yes, it was wise of you to wait for me to contact you." Severus smiled. He appreciated their discretion – it would enable him to keep watch on Dumbledore – and able to hamstring any plans he might make.

Harry hugged him, to his surprise, but the boy was an affectionate sort, and he had missed Harry as well – there were so few children that didn't pale at the sight of him.

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Lucius looked up as another owl entered and dropped an envelope on a pile – Draco's pile this time. Lucius smiled. They had a bit of a contest going – it was tradition to wait until you received all your letters from the magical schools before opening all of them on July 31st – the schools had to make sure they were sent and received before then or the students wouldn't have time to accept and get their supplies.

It was now July 30th and Harry had 8 letters from various schools and Draco had 6. He'd told Draco privately that Harry would likely receive a lot more that him … everyone would want the Boy Who Lived to attend for the notoriety. He was rather impressed that Draco had gotten 6.

Screaming from a house-elf made him jump. "Bad bad giant is hurting Master Dursley sir! He be hexing Master Dudley! Master Harry Potter Sir is yelling bad language!" Lucius ran for the door, then decided to apparate, and found himself appearing into the middle of a scene of chaos.

Hagrid was bellowing something incomprehensible and Harry was screaming something profane … just before waving his left arm in a powerful arc and throwing the now stupefied half-giant through the wall and into the outside garden. Lucius was equally stunned – that had not been accidental magic, Harry had done wandless magic … wordless as well and had stunned a highly resistant half-giant. He immediately felt proud of himself for choosing to back the obviously powerful Harry.

Lucius turned to Dudley and Vernon and lost his smile. Dudley – sporting a pair of donkey ears – was weeping over his father. Vernon was collapsed on the floor, eyes glassy and clutching his chest. His pasty color and gasping breath boded ill for the outcome.

Mere minutes later Lucius had a herd of St Mungo's healers sweating over "Harry Potter's Uncle!" and "The cousin who gave Harry Potter blood protection!" Fudge and a frowning Amelia Bones were standing over the confused Hagrid – now known as a muggle baiter and possible killer – if Vernon died.

Amelia looked at Lucius, expecting an explanation. Lucius loftily said, "I arrived just as Harry's accidental magic hurled the attacker away …" Lucius squeezed Harry's shoulder in warning. "… I am sure that Mr Potter would be happy to fill you in on everything that occured…" Lucius knew that Amelia would have disbelieved most of what he said without Harry's corroboration anyway.

Amelia turned to Harry and Fudge smiled at the boy eagerly. Harry told an angrily anguished tale – the giant apparating in during lunch. Vernon trying to send him off – after all he'd broken in. Hagrid sneering at 'the muggle'. Dudley shouting and ending up with donkey ears. Harry trying to reason with the man, saying he'd gotten the letter – he simply hadn't opened it yet. Hagrid insisting that they were trying to keep him from Hogwarts …

It all had ended in tears, of course.

Lucius managed to look grave instead of gleefully triumphant. He'd overheard a healer say that Vernon would live, so he felt okay with the smugness.

Amelia frowned "Why haven't you opened the letter, Mr Potter?"

Lucius broke in at that. "It's a tradition of the Malfoy family to wait until the last school letter arrives and then open them all … Harry decided to participate – a bit of a contest between he and Draco, to see who got the most."

Harry felt a bit mean and looked at Fudge solemnly. "I'd intended to go to Hogwarts all along, but I have received a total of 8 letters …" He trailed off and looked at Hagrid's stunned form being portkeyed away with a bit of alarm. "… did Headmaster Dumbledore send him?" Harry managed an apprehensive query.

Lucius patted Harry's shoulder in comfort and murmured that he should go see his Uncle who had been moved to his bedroom. Harry scampered off; certain he'd gotten some payback. Fudge looked horrified that Harry might choose to leave Britain and go elswhere to receive schooling. Bones looked a little grim as well.

"I expect there will be an inquiry before the Wizengamot on Monday?" Lucius asked in harsh tones. "Muggles being hexed and frightened into heart seizures … breaking and entering with an illicit portkey – through _**my**_ wards? Harry Potter was in danger…"

Both Fudge and Bones nodded emphatically and Lucius would have done a jig except Narcissa would yell. Perhaps he would do one later when alone.

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A/N – I'll explain the portkey during the 'Inquiry'. And yes, I finally had a day off and got this posted.


	5. Chapter 5

PB5

Disclaimer – Just having fun, making no money.

Chapter 5

Lucius led his little group into the courtroom. Harry and Dudley followed him, Narcissa brought up the rear with Draco. They had spent a few hours talking strategy with Severus. Severus was up in the seats overlooking the courtroom floor. They'd decided that under no circumstances would they reveal that Severus was already acquainted with Harry and his family. They needed a spy in Dumbledore's camp.

Vernon was better use to them home 'gravely ill' and a point of sympathy. There was a full Wizengamot, Lucius was sure they all wanted to see Harry Potter whether they were needed there or not. To his relief, Albus was not presiding – Cornelius was, as Dumbledore's employee was in question, here.

Albus looked uncertain – he didn't really know what was happening and had not had much time to find any information. Severus had sent a note that Albus had scrambled around searching for reasons that they had left Privet Drive and had come up empty – he'd questioned Arabella Figg instead of the muggle neighbors … and was still unaware that Petunia Dursley was dead – didn't even know when they had left Privet Drive.

Perfect.

Hagrid was sitting in the much-too-small-for-him chair, magic suppressing shackles in place. He looked miserable, which seemed to distress Harry. Lucius frowned; he kept forgetting that Harry had a rather empathetic heart.

Cornelius read off the charges and read the report that Madame Bones had taken. There were murmurs in the gallery and a general sense of unease. Everyone knew that Dumbledore had championed the half-giant.

Dumbledore immediately leaped in with a condescending, "You must realize this is all a great misunderstanding." Lucius glowered, Albus had his 'kindly grandfather' persona on. "We were simply trying to get young Harry his Hogwarts letter… it was believed his muggle relatives were keeping it from him."

"Why ever would they keep it from him?" Fudge asked in astonishment. "Everyone has heard you say that his Aunt dotes on him …?"

Lucius waited patiently for the right cue to leap in, Harry by his side. Narcissa, Draco and Dudley sat nearby, watching gravely.

"Well, that's just it … her sister did die at the hands of a wizard, she might be reluctant to let Harry out into the wizarding world." Albus answered with a kindly smile. Harry could feel the room shift … Albus' explanation seemed reasonable.

Madame Bones wasn't impressed, though. "So you send your **gamekeeper** to reassure them? A rather intimidatingly large half-giant - and you broke throught wards with a portkey used by black-ops Aurors to get into places warded by the very worst criminals? A total misuse of of your authority! How could having Mr Hagrid burst in on them that way possibly make them feel better? Why didn't you or your Deputy Headmistress go?" Bones glared at the Headmaster, who looked a bit taken aback. "At best that was unwise … at worst …" She glared again. "… why would you need to intimidate Harry Potter's muggle family?"

Lucius almost smiled … it was coming, he could tell. He was very glad that the reports had not said that Petunia had been missing from the scene. It hadn't mentioned her, he knew Bones had thought Petunia was out shopping, but it hadn't said she wasn't there.

Albus hastily broke back in. "I merely wished to impress on Harry's Aunt that while the blood wards she provides are considerable … we do have formidable wizards who can protect Harry just as well – Hagrid for example." Harry felt the courtroom waver again … Albus was good at this, Harry mused.

_**His cue! **_Lucius almost smiled, but managed to look irate instead. "So, you _**do**_ think the blood wards important? … I was beginning to wonder." Lucius broke in loudly. As Harry's adult representative, he was allowed his say in these proceedings – but he did have a good lawyer there as well in case things went wrong.

"Whatever do you mean?" Cornelius asked a confused look on his face.

"The Headmaster has assured us all year after year that Harry Potter is protected and well cared for … we've been regaled with stories – even this summer - about his idyllic home life and the strength of the warding." Lucius struck a pose, leaning on his cane, head thrown back and his other hand on his hip. Up in the stands Severus smothered a grin. Lucius was so very good at posturing.

"Well, of course his Aunt's blood warding is strong …"Albus didn't know where this was going, but he didn't like it.

"So you keep a very close watch on Harry, his warding and his home life?" Lucius said eyebrows raised.

"Well, until they suddenly appeared in you Manor, they were … that was very irresponsible, Lucius" Albus chided, feeling more sure-footed. "I had a friend - a squib named Arabella Figg - who was living on the same street, keeping close watch."

"Ah – a squib who could not possibly know how the wards were doing." Lucius looked down at the puzzled Harry. "Did you meet this Ms. Figg, Harry?"

"No, we never met." Harry answered.

"She never spoke to you, was inside your home?" Lucius pressed and Harry answered with another no.

Time to go in for the kill. "So, she was also, then unaware that your wards came down last Christmas when your Aunt Petunia died?" Lucius dropped the bomb while staring into Dumbledore's eyes – he wanted Albus to remember that it was him who stuck the knife in.

Shocked voices cried out at this. Dead – the Aunt was dead?, the crowd murmured. Albus froze in horror. This was bad – very bad for him.

"So for over half a year, there have been no blood wards and you were unaware of this … also clearly you didn't know that Harry and his family left that home two months later and were practically living on the streets …" More horrified gasps from the courtroom. "… since you hold Harry's key and he and his family didn't know he had a vault set aside to keep him quite comfortably - and he had no way to contact the wizarding world …" At least not that Dumbledore knew of. "…I was quite shocked when Vernon Dursley applied for work – but I am quite glad I was able to rescue them from an untenable situation …" Lucius leaned over to emphasize his words to the court. "… an _**unnecessary**_ situation – if they really had been looked after by the man we were trusting to keep the 'Boy Who Lived' safe." Lucius used the title deliberately, reminding the court what was owed Harry.

The courtroom almost erupted after that and Cornelius banged loudly for order. Harry was gleeful to feel the courtroom practically panting for Albus' blood. His ability to feel surface emotions was quite useful at times.

"How could you let this happen, Dumbledore?" Marchbanks barked, disgusted with herself for having listened to the old goat.

"Why didn't he have his key?" Cornelius asked faintly.

"I didn't think it was necessary …" Albus cast about for an excuse and found none. "He could get it when he entered the wizarding world." There was silence – the implication was clear … Albus Dumbledore didn't trust the muggles …

"You don't understand what you did!" Harry shouted at Albus – startling the courtroom. "I got a statement from Gringotts – I had plenty of gold in there, I could have made my Aunt's last months comfortable, we wouldn't have had to worry about Uncle Vernon losing so much time at work to stay with her when she was dying." Harry had tears on his face by then; it felt good to throw all this at the man that had left him helpless. "We could have kept our house … the house we lived with Aunt Petunia in. We had to leave it all … we had a garden – one that Aunt Petunia, Dudley and I planted. It had roses and lilies and petunias in it." Harry choked on furious tears, and ended in a hoarse voice. "…We had to leave all of it."

There was the sound of sobbing in the gallery, and even the men were struck dumb by the tale. Rita Skeeter was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief while her quick-quotes-quill scribbled furiously. It was intolerable, most of the wizarding world considered that they owed their freedom to Harry – they had thought him safe in Dumbledore's hands … now they had to hear this?

Lucius gazed at Albus, triumph in his eyes. Albus grimaced, yes, Lucius had shoved him into a grave and now Harry was kicking the dirt in on him.

Tiberius Ogden shook his head. "We've been saying it for years, Albus – you've simply got too much to do – and you just won't delegate. This is the result – something important left undone or done badly."

Albus grasped onto that – anything was better than being thought a criminal. "Yes …" Albus sighed sadly. "… I thought I had adequate eyes and ears on the situation and didn't double check, myself. Everything seemed quite alright … and now this."

Cornelius knew a good opening when he heard it. "Perhaps you should pick where to concentrate your efforts? So nothing like this happens again? The courtroom or the school …?" Fudge asked quietly giving Albus the choice of which. Albus would have liked to loudly refuse, but the full force of disgusted colleagues and angry wizards and witches in the gallery said he had no choice.

"Of course, I will step down from the Wizengamot …" So it won't be on record that you threw me out, Albus thought. "… and concentrate on the school."

The courtroom shifted in discontent. Lucius wondered if he should push to get him out of Hogwarts as well. But no – by next week it would be decided that Albus was merely overworked, as he said and the slap on the hand was enough and he would have more time now he was off the Wizengamot. The defeater of Grindelwald and leader of the Light against Voldemort in the last war wouldn't be defeated this easily.

Lucius patted Harry's shoulder and muttered "well done."

Meanwhile the court looked at Hagrid uncertainly.

"If I may?" Severus stood in the gallery, and now had every eye on him, just as they had planned – if they got this far victoriously. "I believe Hagrid meant no harm … the transcript clearly shows he had incorrect or perhaps misleading information …" the court's eyes turned to Albus who hunched further. "I think if Hagrid was merely sent to a Dragon Reserve to work, it would be enough."

Harry nodded and smiled happily at the Wizengamot, who immediately agreed; glad to do something for Harry. Harry turned a smile on Severus – as if he was a total stranger who had caught his attention by his kindly act. Severus nodded his head at Harry and sat.

With the circus over Lucius led his family, Harry tucked tightly to his side, toward the floo. They walked with a crowd of reporters and well-wishers surrounding them. Lucius had told Harry that they would be shouting questions at him and to simply answer the ones he wished. So Harry just smiled at the crowd and answered the easy ones.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon would be quite well in another week … Yes he liked the house they had – it was huge! … he loved riding the horses there …" Harry waved and flashed a cheeky grin at them as they entered the floo.

Narcissa, an arm around both Draco and Dudley were also fielding question. She made it clear to anyone watching that she was quite fond of Dudley – her cousin Harry's cousin … and yes, Dudley was a muggle, now that you mention it.

They landed at the Manor and the boys raced to update Uncle Vernon.

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Severus flooed to the Main Hall and went to his dungeon. He knew better that to see Albus at present. He didn't crucio the way Voldemort had … but if he thought Severus was betraying him he would be back in Azkaban in no time.

He waited until late afternoon and went to the Headmaster's office then. Minerva and Albus were both there, glaring at him a bit. Minerva was obviously unhappy that anyone had the nerve to question Albus and he was the closest target available.

Minerva sniffed and went out the door with her nose in the air as he sat down.

"Well, your thoughts on the events of the day, Severus?" Albus barked.

Severus watched Albus from under his curtain of hair. Albus was angry and suspicious. He'd not been outmaneuvered like this in decades – if ever.

"A very well plotted … and executed plan – the Malfoys have been planning it for a while. They seem to have Potter believing they are in support of him." Severus allowed a sneer to slip through – he needed Albus to believe that he hated Harry – as Albus had always intended. "I saw the whelp looking at Hagrid in pity – I asked for the clemency to have him look kindly on me … he is obviously easily swayed." Albus' eyes started taking on a light of understanding. "I can get an invitation to the Malfoy Manor – find out what they are up to with the Potter brat on the strength of that."

"You must do more than that, Severus, you must befriend him … get him to look to you as a mentor, even." Albus said intensely. "Above all he needs to be steered away from joining Slytherin – they'll be trying to get him to do that, I'm sure."

Severus had no problem sneering. Albus was easy to manipulate by Severus, as he totally trusted him after a decade of servitude by him. Severus hadn't minded at first – but after all the revelations over the years he'd started studying Albus. Albus rarely bothered to mask his actions or motivations when it was just Albus and Severus. Albus felt that he had Severus totally under his power and didn't need to.

Severus snarled, "I don't know if I'll be able to behave pleasantly for long while I'm talking to the little prince."

Severus watched Albus with amusement, while the Headmaster struggled. He and Minerva had been trying to stoke his hatred for years – now Albus had to try to make him think kindly of Harry.

"Severus," Albus said coaxingly. "I was obviously mistaken in how young Harry was living. He needs you to rescue him from the trap he has walked into … he is Lily's son, too, remember. Don't leave him in their clutches, all alone."

Severus dropped his eyes and hunched his shoulders as if he was caving to pressure. "Oh, very well, for you and Lily, then." Severus muttered. He would have dragged it out longer, but he'd almost burst into laughter as it was.

Albus sat back with a satisfied smile, his most reliable soldier was falling back into line, it had been quite clever of him to suggest the leniency for Hagrid. He popped a lemon drop laced with calming draught into his mouth while Severus stalked out – back rigid with what was likely resentment.

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Severus waited until the next day before going to Malfoy Manor and made sure that Minerva saw him leave with a sullen scowl.

He arrived in time for brunch and they all had a good laugh over the meeting with Albus, with him urging Severus to be friendly with Harry.

"He wants me to 'steer' you toward Gryffindor." Severus said, earning another round of laughter. If only Albus knew.

"Have you seen the papers as yet?" Lucius asked and when Severus shook his head he handed over a rather thick edition of the Daily Prophet – of course they had rather a lot to write.

The Headlines blazed "Dumbledore Fumbles It!" the articles were rather juicy – '… Blood Wards dropped due to inattention …', 'The Boy Who Lived impoverished because Dumbledore hoarded his key …' On and on it went. Rita Skeeter was her usual vicious self, lampooning Albus' age, senility, and general absent-mindedness.

There was some hesitant praise for the Malfoys, having 'rescued Harry Potter and his muggle relatives'. There was even a mention of Severus having 'pulled Rubeus Hagrid out from under the Knight Bus, where Dumbledore had tossed him'. Likely it was only mentioned to further insult Albus and because Harry had approved of it.

"Rita is going to be here in a few minutes for a short interview with Harry. If you want to watch you'll have to do it in your Raven form." Lucius said.

"Raven, you're a Raven?" Dudley gasped in delight. He'd read about animagus' and thought it was brilliant. He'd never felt jealous of Harry's magic until he'd read about that … but getting to watch was almost as good. Severus smiled and changed, making Harry and Dudley clap in enthusiasm.

Rita arrived by floo – Severus escaped out a window and stalked Harry and Rita as a Raven – it was a very useful form. Draco and Dudley had gone to the riding ring to practice some low jumps with the horses. Lucius made himself scarce. It was Narcissa who escorted Harry and Rita around the grounds. Narcissa had said that the very catty reporter could best be handled by someone who also had feline instincts - namely her.

Rita mostly behaved herself, though. She was at present wanting more dirt on Dumbledore – he was a sacred cow she had long wanted to pull down, butcher and roast. She could target Harry or the Malfoy's another time. They watched Draco and Dudley for a bit while Harry told Rita how much the nearly canonized Aunt Petunia had enjoyed watching the thoroughbreds race.

Rita was dragged into the barn to admire Rusty. "He was the one my Aunt most liked to watch." Harry leaned forward as if to impart a secret. "I met him the first time we went to the track and he told me he was going to win … it was great fun to watch him finish first, just like he said." They had all agreed to give Rita that tidbit – it would make her cooperative and it wasn't like the rest of the wizarding world didn't already guess that Harry was powerful.

"He _told_ you?" Rita's eyes gleamed with pleasure – oh, the article she could write over this.

Narcissa hustled forward, as if to hush him. "Now, now … enough boasting Harry."

Rita was happy to be shooed off with all the information she'd already dredged up and left with a cheery wave.

Severus also left, so he could report his visit. Albus listened with rapt interest.

"I made sure he knew that James and Lily were both Gryffindor and that James took great pride in that." Severus curled a lip in scorn. "He seemed eager to hear stories about his parents. Lucius and Narcissa were in much higher years than James and Lily when they attended school, so he was happy to listen to my tales." Albus nodded happily – Severus was falling in with his plan.

"It is imperative that he be Gryffindor … he'll never learn self-sacrifice elsewhere. Minerva can steer him in the right direction." Albus muttered.

Severus looked at the Headmaster narrowly. "I'm not sure I understand, Headmaster."

Albus sighed, he needed Severus' cooperation. He slowly told the tale of the Horcruxes to his Potions Master, making the man turn a little green. "… and when I picked young Harry up to set him on the Dursley's doorstep – I was sure – his scar also holds a piece of Voldemort's soul. It's not a true Horcrux, but it's enough to tie him here."

"So we need to destroy all these Horcruxes before killing the Dark Lord?" Severus said slowly and watched Albus solemnly nod. "And the boy …?" Severus looked into the Headmaster's steely eyes and dropped his own. "… the boy must die?"

"Yes, Severus, the boy must die." Albus answered with carefully crafted sorrow.

Severus nearly threw his teacup – and an Avada Kedavra – at the old rotter. Severus didn't care if Voldemort did come back – Severus knew how to survive that and he would make sure Harry did as well. He couldn't believe Albus thought Severus would participate in this … although as far as he knew, Severus hated Harry and only protected him to pay a debt.

"I see …"Severus answered slowly. He stood and fought his rage down. Albus would pay for this. Harry wasn't going to die … Voldemort and this twinkling old sod would … or worse…

Severus lifted his head and managed to meet Albus' eyes. Severus had the beginnings of a plan. Harry's enemies would rue the day they had angered Severus Snape.

"Very well, I need to go plan." Severus nodded to the beaming Headmaster and left.

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A/N –I know, I know – Raven animagus' for Severus are a total cliché – but that's because it fits him perfectly.


	6. Chapter 6

PB6

Disclaimer – I own nothing and make no money on JKR's characters.

Chapter 6

Severus waited a day or two, mentally sorting the information he had gathered from Albus and adding a bit that Albus didn't know. For someone so smart, Albus had made little headway in the search for the Horcruxes, but he suspected that was on purpose. Severus made a few firecalls to old friends with ominous tattoos on their left forearms that he'd not contacted much over the last decade. They were suspicious, but Severus pretended to be 'surprised by Lucius' actions' and 'what did they think of it all?'

This thawed them out nicely and they discussed Lucius at length. Severus then steered the conversation to artifacts that the Dark Lord had obtained at one point or another. He paid particular attention to mention of artifacts that had belonged to the founders. It was surprising how much many of them knew in spite of the fact that the Dark Lord was trying to be secretive.

At last - at Albus' urging – he 'reluctantly' made another trip to the Malfoy's, grumbling all the way to the floo. He sat in Lucius' study with Narcissa and Lucius and told them what Dumbledore had revealed to him about the Horcruxes … and his plan that Harry be dead at the end of the battles.

Lucius turned white with rage and paced the study, muttering about hateful old men looking to leave a 'legacy' no matter what the cost – or who paid for it. Narcissa narrowed her eyes, stirring her cup of tea and mentally running through all the untraceable poisons she knew of.

Severus let them stew in the knowledge that Albus intended to sacrifice their ticket to redemption for 'the greater good'. Then he told them about the firecalls to the other Death Eaters, the tales about the Dark Lord acquiring things belonging to the founders.

Narcissa brightened and told about her sister placing a gold cup in her vault – and the whispers in the Black family that it was the 'Hufflepuff cup'. Severus smiled in relief – a Horcrux found already! Lucius, though had an odd look on his face, and he went to a portrait of his father, Abraxas. The picture had been hexed silent long ago. Lucius moved the portrait aside after a brief struggle, and opened a safe. He retrieved a small book and set it on the desk.

"My father was given the task of guarding this by the Dark Lord, many years ago – even before I was born. He didn't really know why – and he said he did not dare look too closely at it." Lucius looked a bit ill as he looked at it.

The three of them stared at the small book intently. Narcissa put a hand out – stretching it over the book without actually touching it. She grimaced in distaste.

"A very dark artifact … but I can't tell if it is a Horcrux or not." Narcissa said with a sigh. "I believe it is one – but we need more information."

"We need to make Albus move his plans up – pressure him into acting before he gains ground back with the wizarding world." Lucius said, thoughts whirling. Above all they needed to keep Harry safe from Albus' plans – the best way was to keep Albus off balance.

Severus nodded and gave them the bare bones of his plans for Albus and the Dark Lord. Narcissa and Lucius gaped a little before pulling on their unruffled Slytherin personas. The Headmaster had truly crossed the line with Severus if the Potions Master was willing to do this. Lucius and Narcissa smiled at each other a bit and Narcissa brightly announced that lunch was ready.

Severus visited with the three boys after lunch, listening to plans for the school year. Dudley was eager as well – Narcissa had belatedly realized that Dudley had wanted to attend the same school his father had – some place with the odd name of 'Smeltings'. She was willing to do whatever it took to keep Dudley happy with his family – Harry in particular. His goodwill toward his cousin helped provide protection. Jealousy could only hinder that. She immediately had pressed Vernon into allowing her to pay for that year's tuition for Dudley. Vernon was no match for a determined Narcissa and gave in quickly … after all it was for Dudley.

The three boys compared curriculums and giggled over the disparities. "Well, it's not like many of the courses in muggle school would help in the wizarding world – we get a good grounding in mathematics, writing, spelling and all that before Hogwarts. Arithmancy takes up where math leaves off and we get counted off if we spell wrong – we learn to look things up if we want good grades on our essays. Our sciences are Potions, Charms and Transfiguration. We probably learn as much about plants and animals as you in Herbology and Care of magical creatures."

Harry laughed. "I know if we asked Uncle Vernon how much he uses his 'advanced Algebra' or chemistry and all that stuff - he'll say 'never'."

"Knowledge is never wasted." Dudley said stoutly, quoting his mother. "Still, if you don't need it in the Wizarding world – and you do need the other stuff … I suppose you have to make the trade-off."

"Well, there is a 'muggle studies' class … but Uncle Severus says it is really inaccurate." Draco said hesitantly. "I don't know why it has to be that way – there are plenty of muggleborns – or even half-bloods that should be able to make it interesting and informative."

Severus listened to their conversation, mulling over the implications. He'd often wondered why the muggle studies program at Hogwarts was so shoddy. In most classes Hogwarts had stellar teachers – the reason Hogwarts was always in the top five wizarding world schools. Even some of the muggleborn students could have helped improve the Muggle Studies program. Yet the 'I love muggles and muggleborns' Headmaster let the class slip into the ridiculous.

Severus had brought a few more beginning books on several subjects and went over the chapters Harry and Draco had already reviewed, Dudley listening in with a rapt look. Harry demonstrated a few more spells he'd mastered wandlessly – carefully using his left hand. Draco watched with a captivated expression. Lucius and Narcissa watched from the doorway with glee. Harry was proving more powerful by the day. If things went the way they planned the Dark Lord didn't have a prayer.

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Severus returned to Hogwarts and began his campaign, slowly convincing Albus that he needed to destroy at least some of the Horcruxes now – at least the ones that Lucius and he couldn't find. Between Albus and the Malfoys they should be able to get all five.

Albus was reluctant. "I don't want the war ended so quickly," Albus muttered when Severus broached the subject. "The wizarding world needs to **see** that they are in danger, or they won't transfer their loyalties back to me in the hopes that I can lead them to victory again." Albus looked at Severus intently. "Harry Potter must become loyal to me – the wizarding world needs to see that I'm his mentor. When Harry makes his sacrifice, I'll be able to lead them in the direction the wizarding world needs to go." Albus sat back, face now sorrowful, but determined - a faint light of fanaticism showing in his eyes.

Severus resisted the urge to ask the Headmaster if he'd really been in Gryffindor while in school. He hunched his shoulders instead, hiding his clenched jaw behind the curtain of hair, looking cowed into agreement. "Still, Headmaster, if we had already started on the task – it would be easier to draw the boy into the 'little adventure' … as Potter is likely to look at it in that way." Severus managed a sneer, though his heart wasn't in it. Albus looked thoughtful, stroking his beard – yes, that might work – keep the child busy …

"Yes, I suppose we could … since the boy will be here in the castle, we can have him look for Ravenclaw's diadem … I'm sure that Voldemort found it and he likely hid it here in the castle when he applied to be the DADA teacher – that's when he cursed the position." Albus' eyes began to gleam again. "… and I believe I can track down a certain ring … I have suspicions about the stone in it …" Albus gripped his wand a little harder and smiled in a way that chilled Severus. "Yes, - we'll set young Harry the beginnings of a task, along with him helping watch over the Sorcerer's Stone … he'll learn to come to me for information."

Severus nodded in what he hoped was an agreeable manner and left. He went straight to his quarters and took a long hot shower, feeling a little unclean. The Headmaster had been adamant that the Dark Lord had intended to make six Horcruxes - but had been stopped in the middle of the sixth. Severus now knew of the diadem, a ring, the cup and likely the diary – they just needed one more and the Dark Lord would be finished, except for Harry – and he had a plan for that.

In retaliation for having to listen to all Albus' vile plots, Severus ran off and stirred all the other teachers up – subtly, of course. The staff meeting that occurred that evening was one irritation for Albus after another. Flitwick and Sprout, along with Vector harangued Albus about the disgrace that History of Magic had become – the only reason students still passed their OWLs and NEWTs was that there was a very clear syllabus for them to follow.

Albus fielded their snarls as best he could – usually he could throw them off easily, now everyone was questioning his decisions and he had to promise to interview other teachers for the coming year. He would have preferred history stay a little murky for the students – just an overview of events without 'in depth discussions' that would perhaps insist on looking at more than one perspective on events.

Albus needed 'history' – particularly recent history - to be told the way he wished. A rather select group of books was 'suggested' in the syllabus if any students insisted on reading more than just 'A History of Magic'. Albus hadn't dared purge the library, though he'd slowly managed to get a few tomes moved to the restricted section as being 'too violent' or 'too disturbing' for the very young.

Still if he dragged a year or two before getting a new teacher … and did not let them change the syllabus quickly – at least Harry Potter would not be infected with too much forward thinking. He gave Minerva the job of gathering resumes to be reviewed, giving her a speaking glance.

Then, to his shock, the teachers started in on the Muggle Studies course. This alarmed him greatly. The last thing he needed was for purebloods to come to any understanding of muggles – and he preferred that the muggleborns thought wizards and witches to be a bit stupid to believe what was in their course-book. It had taken him years to find one as unhelpful and inaccurate as the one in use. It was bad enough that half-bloods spread as much information as they did to both sides.

"Now, we have a new teacher this year – a Charity Burbage – who I'm sure will do a fine job." Albus tried to soothe them.

"Charity Burbage!" Sprout nearly shouted. "She's never stepped foot in the muggle world – after Hogwarts she went on to get a Mastery in Divination – I'm quite sure she never even took a muggle studies course."

Albus reined in his temper with difficulty – his staff never took him to task in this manner – they never questioned his judgment. Charity was a well-born pureblood and very light witch who would follow his every directive, and he wanted her here. She'd been a Gryffindor – but only because he'd told the hat to place her there, and Minerva had gotten her quite well indoctrinated.

Minerva tried to jolly the teachers around but they would have none of it. At the end they had a list of muggleborns they would have assist Burbage in 'straightening out the class' and Flitwick had produced a very excellent book for the course that Albus had been avoiding for over a decade. They would have to hurry and get it placed on the list at the bookstores, Flitwick said with a happy smile.

Professor Babbling sniffed after that, "Well, a few improvements, at least. We'll have to hope that Professor Quirrell is still as competent as he was at the end of last year – when he took over the Defense against the Dark Arts class for that poor Lydia Burke when she got splinched … such a shame."

The teachers nodded to the Headmaster as they left - he was agitatedly shuffling his papers and not looking at any of them. Severus filed out behind them as they left, smothering a smile.

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Severus put off going to Malfoy Manor for a few days – though he sent an owl to update them. He was appearing to sulk while reading the Daily Prophet's lengthy articles on Harry while eating breakfast … Harry and Vernon and Dudley, Harry and Draco, Harry and the Horses, Harry and the Malfoys, 'the tragic tale of the sainted Petunia Dursley … and Harry'. The whole 'Defeat of You-Know-Who' by Harry' was re – examined and more speculation was put forth. The wizarding world was having an orgy of Harry Potter madness.

Even Rita Skeeter seemed to be charmed into bestowing some kind words on Harry – if only so she could skewer Dumbledore better. Narcissa had said she'd noticed Rita crying just a bit during Harry's rant at Albus. Perhaps it had been just a pretense on her part – but no one was watching her – except for Narcissa, no there was no point. Whatever the reason … Rita was cutting them some slack, and her interview with Harry had been favorable. She dropped the bomb that Harry had been 'speaking' to the horses in an article just morning.

All the teachers whispered excitedly at that, the newspapers rustling and rattling as they discussed it. Severus saw Albus' eyebrows raise in what Severus thought might be alarm. Albus tilted his head toward his office a bit and glanced at Minerva. An old signal – and one that Severus had been waiting for. This was a conversation not to be missed. Severus stood and cast the paper onto the table, as if in a temper, stalking away.

Severus went outside, ducking into an alcove and changed into a raven. It was a bright, warm day and Albus' windows would be open – even the small one in a nook above the portraits – where none of the portraits would see him and too high for the human occupants to easily see him, either. Severus flew in silently and ducked behind the small curtain, and peeked out carefully.

Albus was already there and had taken down the sorting hat. "… I insist … Harry Potter simply must be in Gryffindor." The hat grumbled unhappily and Albus continued. "He's already becoming powerful and he needs to be under Minerva's control so he can learn responsibility."

"As I recall placing you in Gryffindor didn't teach you that right away." The hat snapped back, impressing Severus with its audacity. "… you insisted I put you in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin where your father had been … you were afraid that everyone would think you were a muggle – hater like him."

"He disgraced his family." Albus practically shouted.

"His mistake was not telling the Wizengamot what had happened to your sister – not telling them that her injuries were why he lost control and harmed the muggles." The hat answered sadly. "His family – the Dumbledores – would have helped with Arianna if he had asked … even if your mother had asked, afterwards - if she hadn't run away to Godric's Hollow with the three of you."

"Water under the bridge." Albus muttered, shaking his head. He straightened back up as Minerva entered the room, scrolls tucked under her arms. "We need to discuss protecting the children that are here. You have the lists of children entering Hogwarts this year … and your interviews?"

Minerva nodded and smiled, looking quite smug. "I'm quite sure I've found just the Muggleborns for you, Albus." She rolled out some parchment. "There are two boys in particular that should be useful. Seamus Finnegan is a half blood and after talking to him … he isn't likely to ask questions – he'll be too busy looking for ways to sneak in firewhiskey and starting betting pools. The other is Dean Thomas – a muggleborn and quite smart, but he knows nothing about the wizarding world and is unlikely to talk to Harry Potter about politics."

Albus nodded, good he needed Harry Potter to listen to Severus – and then Minerva and finally learn to listen to him, Albus. He knew Harry would not trust him immediately – he had fence-mending to do. Severus had orders to get Harry to understand that Albus was a busy man and simply couldn't see to everything – and Harry would have to be very selfish indeed to expect the Head of the Wizengamot to see to every little thing in Harry's life. If Harry had been in a home that had been a little less loving – as Albus had expected - Harry would never have looked for special treatment in any form. He would have been thrilled to have Hagrid burst in and rescue him from the drudgery of muggle life.

"Any very smart ones that can help steer him where we wish to go?" Albus asked, "The Weasley boy, perhaps?"

Minerva's lips tightened, "Ronald may have all the correct ideas – about listening to you and about distrusting Slytherins, etc. But he is unlikely to lead anywhere except to a Quidditch game or other unproductive pursuits." Minerva shuffled through her interviews. "There is a muggleborn girl – a Hermione Granger – she is sharp enough that she'll likely be in Ravenclaw, but she is at that age where she has a very narrow idea of right and wrong and tends to believe that teachers – and others in positions of power must absolutely be right. She can be steered with no problem, and with guidance she should stay that way. I left her several books – 'Hogwarts a History', 'The Rise of the Dark' - the one about your leadership in the war with Grindelwald and the first rise of 'you know who', I also left a book that details the lives of prominent Gryffindors."

Albus nodded with a smile. "Hat – those four must definitely be put in Gryffindor, along with Harry Potter, he is already proving to be far too powerful to be left without careful guidance."

The hat frowned at Albus. "I did tell you that I would let you advise on a small number of students every year – I do hope that these will be enough. Though I must protest you putting all the Weasley children in Gryffindor … Percival should definitely been in Ravenclaw – or at least Hufflepuff …" the Hat turned toward Minerva, "… and no matter what you say – those twins should have been in Slytherin …"

Albus merely frowned while Minerva turned a bit pink with temper. The Headmaster stared at a parchment in front of him, "The Abbott and Bones girls – put them both in Hufflepuff, though Ravenclaw would do if you wish. Their families are both purebloods, and their families view are a bit … repressive … even if they are light families."

"Too bad …" The hat sniffed "… many of the Bones' made fine lions, back in the day – but you are right, they would likely tell the twins they are just shy of being outright bullies – a couple more years and they'll likely be causing injuries … though just like in the past you might not mind as long as it is Slytherins being damaged."

"That will be enough, hat." Minerva hissed. She hated it when even an oblique mention was made of the Marauders.

Severus was still a bit stunned by the news that the Headmaster interfered with the sorting of some students. It did explain some odd sortings.

Albus cleared his throat and gave the hat a small glare. "The Greengrass girl needs to go into Slytherin, where her cousins went in past years. The Greengrass family is pureblood and they were no friends to our cause in the first war."

"They were neutral, though …" Minerva began, and subsided at Albus' look.

"During war there is no neutral." Albus intoned, "We need to separate those that are of use, and those we can expect to help once there is an obvious threat and keep them in our realm of influence … the ones we know that will either fight for Voldemort … or will want someone other than I to lead against him need to be separated – into Slytherin if possible, or Hufflepuff when not."

"I won't let you choose for everyone – I told you … just a few, because you insist." The hat objected. "You have skewed enough lives. And, there are some you should not have tampered with … especially some of the muggleborns and halfbloods who would have been in Slytherin and helped them see the foolishness of their prejudice."

"There are still half-bloods and muggleborns in Slytherin … though not as many." Albus retorted defensively. Albus once again listed the students he had definite houses for – Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in particular. "I will visit the Weasleys and see if I can drop a few hints at Mr. Ron Weasley – Minerva, visit the Grangers once more – see if you can steer the girl to befriend Mr Potter, hint that we are hoping she can help him and protect him from the dark wizards at Hogwarts."

Minerva nodded with a smile. She did enjoy talking to the young students, steering their thoughts in the right direction, watching as they went down the correct path she had pointed out.

Severus danced from foot to foot, listening to Albus and Minerva discuss the uprising among the staff. The decided to 'play along' for now – once the war got underway they would forget about it. The Stone was discussed and the 'gauntlet' of tasks was gone over. Albus seemed quite satisfied.

"We can urge Harry Potter's friends to encourage him to rescue the Stone from Dark Wizards – running this gauntlet will teach him some of the skills he'll need and he can learn to turn to me for guidance." Albus sat back with a smug smile, feeling that he had it all worked out.

Severus sneered mentally. Albus' plan was packed full of holes – all of it depended on Harry and the other children interacting – and reacting just as he planned. He should realize that eleven year olds simply aren't that predictable … unfortunately, Severus thought.

Minerva and Albus finally left and Severus scuttled out the window. He made it back into Hogwarts and down to the dungeons quickly. He now had a wealth of information of how to outmaneuver Albus and Minerva. He was a bit disappointed in his colleague. He'd thought she was an unwilling or oblivious accomplice … but, no, she seemed well aware of what was happening – although Severus doubted she knew the darker things – the Dark Lord's Horcruxes for instance. He sincerely hoped she was not aware of Albus' expectation that Harry needed to die.

Severus waited around the following morning, pretending to resentfully glare at the Daily Prophet full of pictures of Harry attending a race – cheering wildly for 'Rusty', a picture of Harry with the triumphant thoroughbred in the winner's circle. There were now a fair number of wizards and witches entering the muggle world to attend races – at least at the Salisbury track where they might spot Harry Potter.

There had been a special section in one of the Prophets giving advice on how to attend a race 'without attracting unwanted muggle attention'.

Finally, at Albus' pointed look, Severus dragged to the floo in the Great Hall and dispiritedly cast the floo powder down while Albus watched. Dudley was being seen off to Smeltings and Albus wanted him there 'to support Harry and put in a few good words about Hogwarts'. He smirked as he got out and was greeted by Harry with enthusiasm.

Severus gathered the Malfoys and Dursleys and sat down with Harry and told them the latest information. Lucius and Narcissa reacted with horror – tampering with a child's sorting? … it was a heinous violation in the eyes of the wizarding world. And suborning two children into doing his dirty work – unconscionable.

"Well with any luck this will be the last year he can fiddle with things like that." Harry spoke up. He was determined that Dumbledore be ousted from his position of authority. "We have our own plans in place and they should not be able to cause trouble with that. As long as I know who to look out for … this Ron and Hermione … I can avoid their traps."

Severus frowned and tapped his fingers to his lips. "Don't avoid them completely … Ronald Weasley will be in your dorm, and you can't dodge him totally anyway. Don't be hostile – if you don't fall in with his plans, he's likely to be the one that acts hostile and the other students will see that. Apparently the girl is very smart – just give reasoned arguments for not doing as she says, but don't let her draw you into a debate."

"I can always just make friends with the other two – Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan. Dumbledore can't object to that." Harry smirked, plotting with Severus was rather fun.

"Just don't forget to write, you two." Dudley broke in, he wasn't looking forward to separating from his cousin and new friend.

"Don't _you_ forget – I need to keep up on the Soccer teams." Draco said, "And we'll let you know how the plots are working."

Lucius nodded at Severus, much of the upcoming battle plans rested squarely on Severus and Harry, with Draco providing assistance. He hoped they would be successful, a great deal depended on it. At last they could put it off no longer and they piled into the Malfoy's wizardspaced limo and enjoyed the hour's ride to Smeltings. The people at the school were quite impressed by the limo and the Malfoys, and they gave Vernon and Dudley a heartier welcome than they had intended.

Draco and Harry helped drag Dudley's stuff to his dorm. Draco looked around the school with interest. Very different in some ways to what he knew was at Hogwarts, but some things were the same – dorm rooms, trunks, classrooms. It just wasn't in a magic castle.

Goodbyes were said and Vernon waved to his son a bit sadly. Soon all three boys would be off to school. Part of him was very happy … against all odds Dudley was at Smeltings and Harry would be off to Hogwarts just as he and Petunia had always hoped. Still, he knew he would be a bit lonely. Narcissa watched him as they drove back to Malfoy Manor.

"It will be Christmas break in no time, Vernon; the time will go faster than you think." Narcissa could remember thinking it would be forever before she saw home again when she first went to school.

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Harry ran his hands over the beautiful trunk at the shop that sold them. He had all the books – they'd sent for the ones needed months ago, to read ahead, but they had gotten a few more while they were here. Severus and Lucius were with them as they got their wands. The creepy old man had delivered a scary rant about the wand and they left quickly. Now he needed a good trunk. This one was a beautiful cherrywood with three different sections, depending on which latch he opened 'so he would have triple the room'. The trunk was a lot deeper than the outside dimensions could account for. He simply loved it.

The eager salesman put his monogram in gold across the front. Harry looked around quickly, there was a bit of a crowd watching and pretending not to. Harry told himself he didn't care, Severus and Lucius wouldn't let them get out of hand.

Severus shrank the trunk and Harry put it in his pocket with a grin. Magic really was brilliant. "I don't have a cage for Ditto … and I should get him some treats and all, too." Harry was glad to have him back and wanted to take him to Hogwarts. The cage was obtained and Harry stopped in front of the Quidditch store. The game looked like a lot of fun. Draco was enthusiastic and Harry had enjoyed the games they'd attended.

A pack of redheads lined up beside him. The youngest boy stared at Harry's scar. "You really are Harry Potter, aren't you?" Harry was a little taken aback, but nodded. The boy grabbed Harry's hand and shook it heartily. "Ron Weasley … we'll be in Gryffindor together this year."

"We haven't been sorted, yet, maybe I'll be in another house." Harry extracted his hand, determined to not look annoyed. So this was Ron? Not terribly subtle.

A pair of red-haired twins chortled. "No way you'll be anything else …" One said. "… both your parents were Gryffindors." The other continued.

"Well, I don't remember them," Harry answered craftily. "My Aunt Petunia raised me and she said that if she'd been a witch she'd have been in Slytherin … even my mother Lily said she would have been." Harry escaped with a chuckle and an approving look from Severus. They left the group of red haired children with horrified looks on their faces.

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Lucius, Narcissa and Vernon took the boys to Kings Cross the next day, and they scuttled through the gateway at 9 ¾ with a laugh. Harry was enjoying the wizarding world more and more. There were reporters at the outskirts of the crowd of parents and children, all wanting a shot of Harry Potter getting on the Hogwarts Express. Lucius and Vernon manfully shook the boys' hands, Narcissa hugged them both and kissed their foreheads. Harry was very glad her lipstick was spelled to not come off.

They quickly found an empty compartment and settled in. They grinned at each other and waited for the assault.

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A/N – The sorting is next. I promise it will be fun.


	7. Chapter 7

PB7

Disclaimer – not mine, just having fun with JKR's characters

Chapter 7

Harry and Draco kept the door open, intending to snag the students they wanted. Severus had gotten the addresses of certain students, and Lucius had hired detectives to get pictures. They had spotted Dean when he had been admiring Lee Jordan's tarantula while still on the platform. They waved at him as he went by.

"Was that really a tarantula?" Draco asked, wide-eyed. He couldn't care less about the spider, but he wanted to open a dialogue. If he and Harry made friends with him first, it would be harder for others to paint Draco as evil.

Dean happily sat on the seat across from Draco and described the spider with relish. The three cheerfully grimaced and yelled 'ick' over the spider. Draco introduced himself and asked if Dean followed the 'footie' games. Dean was an avid follower of the Fulham Football Club, and Draco was happy to discuss the league standings with him, admitting he was new to Football, but was eager to learn.

Harry snagged Seamus Finnegan as he strolled by, asking if he was a first year and if he liked football or Quidditch best. As Seamus had 'a foot in both worlds', as he described it, he was happy to give his opinion.

Dean was as eager with questions about Quidditch as Draco was with ones about Football. Draco drew out an enormous book on Quidditch teams and their history. Draco explained the game as well as he could, though it was a bit complicated. It seemed enough that it was a game that was played while flying – that interested Dean quite enough.

As the train continued to get loaded several students looked in and Harry always gave a pleasant greeting, along with Draco. Several times Draco introduced him to other students. Many of the older students – especially the ones with green and silver ties – gave him assessing looks. A few looked a little awed, but no one said anything impolite.

Draco made himself relax whenever someone looked at Harry's forehead as they were clearly looking for the famous scar. It was rude, but at least they didn't ask him to move his hair out of the way to see it. Harry had said, days ago, that they needed Draco to come across as agreeable and definitely not pretentious in any way. Lucius had supported that, saying that Draco could ease up on the 'niceness' once he had established some friendships. Draco had been reluctant, until Narcissa had threatened to call him 'Sweetums' or 'Dracky-poo' during their send – off if he didn't co-operate. Draco immediately felt that they had a point about being pleasanter to anyone his parents and Severus thought they needed to be friends with.

Now that he was here, it really wasn't difficult to be 'nice'. Dean and Seamus were actually fun to talk to. The students with the rude requests … well Harry was dealing with them with a smile, so he kept quiet.

Harry's eyes sharpened when introduced to Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. "I greatly admire your Aunt, Susan – she seemed quite on top of things when I was speaking to the Wizengamot."

Susan beamed at Harry and he turned to her friend. "I've heard very good things about the Abbott family … and I hear your family has a racehorse or two …" _… and your family has always held itself a bit_ _aloof form Albus Dumbledore, even if you are considered a light family_ Harry added mentally.

Hannah blushed and smiled. "Yes, the family has always kept one or two racers, along with some riding horses." The girls hovered and Draco told them about the Camargue horses and their riding adventures in the New Forest Preserve. Hannah and Susan eventually went on to sit with some other friends, just in time for Ron to appear - his brothers walking on by with satisfied looks at having found Harry for Ron.

Draco tensed as Ron sat next to Seamus, across from Harry, with a wide grin. Harry answered with a polite smile. "Thought I would never find you … most of the other compartments are getting pretty full." Ron turned to Seamus and Dean. "Did you see his scar? Could hardly believe it when I heard he was coming to Hogwarts this year …"

Dean looked puzzled and glanced at Harry in inquiry. Seamus, though he didn't seem the subtle or easily embarrassed type, looked uneasy at Ron's fascinated behavior. Seamus had been curious about Harry as well, but figured that he needed to have been around Harry Potter for a day or two before hazarding a few questions – after all, he had the whole school year to satisfy his curiosity.

Ron just grinned at Harry, "Go ahead, show them the scar." He was very sure that Harry Potter would jump at the chance to display his famous mark.

Harry was a bit speechless at Weasley's demand that he show off the scar. Draco was never speechless, however and could not resist answering.

"He doesn't have to display his scar for your amusement if he doesn't want to." Draco frowned, trying to keep most of his hostility hidden. Seamus squirmed and Dean looked even more confused.

Ron reacted with predictable aggressiveness. "Shut up, you snobby snake – you're sure to go in Slytherin, just like all the rest of your evil family." Dumbledore himself had talked to his family, telling how the Malfoys were taking advantage of Harry Potter and his family – that they had likely engineered the Dursley's financial troubles so they could 'rescue' them. At all cost, the Headmaster had said, Harry must be saved from the Malfoys and from Slytherin.

Dean and Seamus both frowned; Draco had been quite friendly and open … eagerly asking about the muggle games and sharing information on Quidditch. Sure, anyone with half an eye could see his clothing was expensive – but he had not been flaunting anything.

The strategy plans that Severus, Lucius and Harry had thought up – and that he'd agreed to - had been clear – if Ron attacked him verbally this way, he was to back off with a dismayed look – perhaps acting a bit hurt at the insinuation that he was snobbish … and let Harry defend him. They had reviewed every scenario they could imagine and had various responses that would help them out. So, Draco sat back and looked at Dean and Seamus as if contemplating apologizing to them for the sin of being rich.

Dean immediately frowned. "Draco has been very nice – explaining Quidditch to me, he hasn't acted snobbish at all – it's not like he can help being well-off."

Ron sputtered, "He and parents are rich as Midas … they could buy and sell you guys ten times over."

"That seems a lot more important to you than anyone else, right now." Harry answered in level tones. "If you can't like someone because they have a bit of money … maybe you are the snob – or rather a reverse snob ... and since I have a little money of my own – well you can't like me either, then."

Ron reared back in shock. This was unexpected. "What do you mean I'm a snob – I'm not rich … I _**can't**_ be a snob!" The remark that Harry was a bit wealthy was ignored by him … he hadn't meant _**that **_– surely they realized that he would want to be friends with Harry no matter what?

The other four boys grimaced in unison. If Ron Weasley didn't know what reverse snobbery was – there was no point trying to explain it to him. He would probably think it was perfectly alright, anyhow. Even Seamus, who was hardly rich – or terribly intellectual either - knew what the term meant.

Harry nearly smirked, Ron Weasley was shooting himself in the foot, they weren't having to do much arguing to convince Seamus and Dean that Ron was a bit of a jerk – and not to be listened to. Harry felt that Dean needed a bit of an explanation, so he turned to him and told him an abbreviated version of his story.

"I'm apparently famous in the magical world because a "Dark Lord" was tracking down and killing a lot of people that didn't agree with him – he targeted my family and killed my parents. My mother had cast some protective magic on me that activated when he killed her to get to me. The killing curse he used bounced back and hit him instead." Harry shook his head. "It gave me this scar, and made me rather well known, since no one else ever survived the killing curse – but it's also why I hate showing it off – it reminds me of their death."

Dean looked less confused, nodding. It was enough of the story to let Dean understand at least some of the fuss surrounding Harry.

Ron looked totally surprised. He'd never thought of the possibility that Harry's famous scar might not be a point of pride for him – that it brought up poor memories instead. Ron tried to imagine being in a similar situation without much success. Would he still be proud of the scar? Surely it would be okay to show it off – it would be a way to honor his parent's sacrifice, maybe? It was unthinkable to not want to show it off at all.

"My Aunt died of cancer – we had some money trouble and Draco's family bailed us out when they realized our trouble as we are relatives, after all." Harry smiled at Draco, who smiled back – their script right on track. "Lucius Malfoy – Draco's father – can come across as rather intimidating, but he's different when it's just family."

Draco nodded in agreement – it was true that it was his mother that was the force to be reckoned with at home.

Seamus relaxed; this was an area he was familiar with. "Yeah, my da' is about the most fearsome man in town – runs a very popular pub an' all. 'e can stop a fight from happenin' with a single glare. But at 'ome he's a big softee … Mum 'as to do all the disciplinin', 'cause 'e hates layin' a 'and on us kids."

Dean smiled and nodded, as they moved back to ground he was easier with as well. Harry's story was quite interesting, though and he made a mental note to grill Seamus later - if they got to be roommates.

Ron finally recovered and jumped back into the conversation. "What houses do you think you'll be in?" He aimed the question at Seamus and Dean, hoping to not aggravate Harry further – or worse, have him saying anything more about his beloved Aunt belonging in Slytherin.

Seamus grinned, "Me Mum was in Hufflepuff … my da' is a muggle, but I'm thinking he'd have been a Gryffindor if he'd been a wizard."

Dean looked uncertain. "I'm not sure about all this stuff about houses … my dad was in the military for several years. My mother is really smart – does planning for expansions at a big company – that takes strategy. I'd like to think I'm very loyal – I guess I'm good for just about any of the 'houses'." Dean shrugged, quite unconcerned by it all.

Draco felt he'd been silent long enough. "What 'house' you go into can be important for some. Some families take great pride in always going into the same house. For some that want to work at the ministry – getting into the same house as others that you may one day work with can be important."

"As I recall, your entire family has been Slytherin for centuries … everyone knows all Dark Wizards come from there." Ron tried not to sound as belligerent as he felt.

"Really?" Harry responded with a hint of anger. "As I remember it, the wizard that betrayed by family to their deaths was a Gryffindor … Sirius Black. One of the Dark Lord's favorite torturers was Hufflepuff – Barty Crouch Junior…" Harry heard a gasp from the hall, in time to see a timid looking boy holding a toad scurry away just as the train left London and proceeded through the countryside.

Ron felt the earth get cut away from under his feet once again. He'd not heard of those wizards, and it shocked him that not all the evil wizards were snakes. He was quite sure that he'd heard Bill … and Charlie as well … say that there wasn't a witch or wizard that had gone bad that wasn't in Slytherin.

Draco sniffed at Ron's statement and then forced himself to relax and smile. "My dad was barely on the chair a moment before he was sorted to Slytherin – I'm pretty sure that the majority of my ancestors were in Slytherin – but not all. My father's mother was a Ravenclaw, for instance."

Hermione had lurked outside of the compartment for a while, listening to the boys and sneering at Ron's efforts. Professor McGonagall had said that the Weasley boy would also be trying to help keep Harry Potter safe. She'd been excited that the Professors had immediately realized that she was 'the one' that they needed to lead Harry Potter safely through the dangers he would soon face. She needed to be smarter than her opponents … show Harry Potter that she was smarter than any of the other students, and he should want to listen to her.

In the muggle world her intellect and thirst for knowledge had made her a pariah to her fellow students and eventually even the teachers were irritated, as she constantly questioned them and always caused the 'grade curve' to be totally off. At last she would have Professors that appreciated her, she thought smugly.

She strolled forward to the doorway as she heard the Malfoy boy speaking – the one that Professor McGonagall had warned her about. "Has anyone seen a toad – a boy named Neville has lost one?" She'd met Neville and used the toad as an excuse to seek out Harry Potter.

The boys shook their heads in disinterest. "Are you trying to decide what house you want to be in? I would like Gryffindor, myself, they seem to be the most upright and fair-minded of the houses." She looked at Harry and Draco, willing Harry to agree with her.

"Not really …" to her surprise it was Seamus that interrupted her. "Most Ministers for Magic and a fair number of ministry workers are Hufflepuffs – and they prize loyalty. They are the house most likely to welcome almost anyone and 'make them their own', as they say."

"But there are Gryffindors in the ministry as well …" Hermione had been shaken by Seamus' assertion.

"Yes, mostly as Aurors – they are like policemen." Draco answered, forcing himself not to sneer. "But they enforce laws – they don't make them … Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs for the most part do that. Hufflepuffs are known to be 'fair-minded' – as you put it, and Ravenclaws are smart."

"Well, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore – who was also the Head of the Wizengamot and at one time the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards – is a Gryffindor, as well as the Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall." Hermione said this with triumph.

Seamus actually snorted, making Harry smile. Draco rolled his eyes, but kept silent. It was Harry's turn. "Professor Dumbledore has been a highly respected wizard – however he recently stepped down from those two positions because he was … shall we say … stretched too thin and unable to perform _**all**_ his duties _… __**adequately**_."

Seamus snickered and looked at Harry with a bit of sympathy. Seamus' parents – particularly his mother – had been loud in their complaints regarding Albus' mishandling of Harry's affairs. His mother had even wept a little when she read about Harry's little diatribe aimed at the Headmaster. Dean looked confused again and Seamus pushed a Daily Prophet at him – one that detailed the whole story and Dean started reading.

Harry smiled, he didn't want them to think he hated Gryffindor house – that would be unfortunate. "My parents were Gryffindors – it's not that I think they are a bad house – far from it, I just think all the other houses have good points, too. I believe I'll be happy wherever I'm put."

Hermione shared a look with Ron, neither of them were happy with that answer, but could not mount a good argument against it. They murmured a faintly unhappy response and Hermione went back to the compartment housing a terrified Neville and tried to think. She'd thought this would be easy – it obviously wouldn't be.

Ron subsided and simply listened to the others talk about some muggle game named football and comparing the rules and strategies with Quidditch. The candy trolley came by – the Headmaster had given him a sickle to buy some candy with, and he bought a few things for later – he was too depressed to bother with it right then. To his relief the train ride finally came to an end.

A statuesque witch introduced herself as Professor Sinistra and led them to a small fleet of boats to cross a lake to the castle in. For the first time Harry forgot about 'the plans' and let himself simply revel in the magic of the place. Hogwarts truly was beautiful and he could feel the castle embrace all of them with open arms.

Dean, Seamus, Draco and Harry all got in a boat together, gliding over the lake to the castle with awestruck looks.

Professor McGonagall met them at the top of the stairs, and explained the sorting and point system. She looked displeased at Draco's proximity to Harry – and the lack of any Grangers or Weasleys nearby. At least Mr. Thomas and Mr. Finnegan were right beside them. She finally led the way into the Great Hall.

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Severus sat next to Professor Quirrell with discomfort. Clearly something was very wrong with the man. Albus just waved his concerns off with twinkling eyes. Severus suspected this must be part of Albus' plans to test Harry. Quirrell had his back to the Hall and was muttering to himself a bit – making Severus twitch in alarm.

Lucius and a group of governors were huddled at one end of the teacher's table. Lucius had talked them into 'observing' the welcoming feast. Everyone knew he just wanted to watch his heir, Draco, be sorted. None of the other governors objected, of course – all of them wanted to watch Harry Potter be sorted.

Severus had managed to get his hands on the sorting list – it was imperative that Draco be sorted before Harry – a great deal rode on that. Luckily he didn't need to change the order of names - they weren't alphabetical, so he had needed to check – however, Draco was before Harry on the list and all would be well.

The children gathered together in the front of the Head table and Minerva lifted the scroll and let it unroll in front of her, the sorting hat in the other hand. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott went to the cheerfully applauding Hufflepuff table. Hermione Granger nervously went to forward when called, muttering to herself. After a few tense moments the hat proclaimed her "Gryffindor!" A few more were sorted and then Seamus and Dean went to Gryffindor to much cheering. Then Draco Malfoy was called.

Albus relaxed. Finally the Malfoy heir would be sent to the dungeons and Harry could be weaned away from him. The slight blonde figure sat down and the sorting hat placed on his head. The hat muttered in surprise and then started chuckling happily. "Better be … Gryffindor!"

Albus was sure, later, that he blacked out for a moment or two, and then he found himself watching the triumphant Draco wander over to the hesitantly applauding students at his table. Seamus and Dean welcomed him happily, though. Minerva recovered and called Ron forward and he went to the Gryffindors table as well – sitting next to the twins and muttering anxiously to them.

Albus finally thought to look over at Lucius. He expected to see an infuriated Malfoy Sr. Instead, there was a puzzled looking father who was smiling at his newly placed son and nodding at him in acceptance. Albus looked closer … no, Lucius was not surprised or puzzled at all, this was planned.

During Albus' perusal Harry was called up. The hat was placed and did more chuckling and quietly said to Harry. _"Your friend Draco already showed me your plan. You are correct – the Headmaster insisted that you go to the Lions … though you would have done well in Slytherin, too."_ "Better be Gryffindor!" the hat shouted.

Albus clapped with little enthusiasm. Yes, Harry was in Gryffindor, but there was not much triumph in it with Draco Malfoy there as well. He'd insisted that Harry go under Minerva's wing … it had never occurred to him that he needed to tell the hat to not place Draco Malfoy with the Lions. Albus looked back at Lucius … yes, this had been another well-thought out plan.

Albus glanced at Severus, who looked positively murderous, and smiled a little. Lucius had lost a friend there, most likely. Severus would not like being cut out of having his godson in his house. None the less, Severus would need to stay friendly with Harry … and Draco as well, he supposed. He needed Severus to influence Harry into trusting Albus.

Neville stumbled up to the chair, uncertainly. He'd wanted to go into the house his father had been in – Gryffindor. Now the thought terrified him – Malfoy was there! He'd heard his Gran rant about the Death Eaters … especially the still-at-large Lucius Malfoy. When the hat went on his head he begged it to send him elsewhere. The hat sighed and shouted, "Hufflepuff!" Neville ran to his new friends in relief … he would be safe, there.

The rest of the students were eventually sorted to their places and the feast started. Severus eventually let his expression dull down to just a bit sullen, managing to not sneer at the Headmaster in victory. Lucius was heard telling the other governors that 'he was just fine with Draco's sorting.' With Draco being sorted first it would be impossible for Albus to accuse anyone of getting Draco mis-sorted. After all - as far as the rest of the world knew, they couldn't have predicted that Harry would go into Gryffindor. Albus would not want to open the can of worms that accusations of 'tampering with the sorting' would bring about.

Much of the Gryffindor table seem to slowly be accepting Draco – after all, he seemed to be very chummy with the muggleborn Dean and the halfblood Seamus – so perhaps they needn't worry. Harry Potter was clearly a friend, so how bad could he really be? Anyway, the sorting hat knew what it was doing, right?

At last, Percy led the first years to their dorms, and they settled into their beds. Everyone happy with their placement … except for Ron, who couldn't believe he was somehow the odd man out.

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A/N – Sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but we are all sorted at last. I hoped to make it a bit of a surprise.


	8. Chapter 8

PB8

Disclaimer – I don't look anything like JKR – and my bank account looks nothing like hers, either.

Chapter 8

Severus watched the Gryffindors and Slytherins enter his classroom from down the hall, while he was enveloped in a cloud of darkness to prevent them from seeing him. It had been an interesting week, so far. Harry had appeared at breakfast the first day of classes, beaming at everyone. Harry was followed by Draco – who was flanked by Dean and Seamus, who were each trying to convince him of the superiority of their favorite Soccer team.

The Headmaster and McGonagall had watched Harry and the Gryffindors carefully to see how Ron and Hermione were faring in winning over Harry. Ron spent a lot of time trying to get the other boys to talk Quidditch instead of this 'football'. Once Ron saw that verbally attacking Draco simply pushed all four of the other first year Gryffindor boys away he had started his 'magic games are best' campaign.

Dean and Seamus were tolerating Ron, mostly because Draco continued to keep a tranquil and tolerant face in place no matter what Ron threw at him. It was not easy for Draco, but he kept in mind his father's instructions and the thought of what would happen if he failed. Having the Dark Lord triumphant would mean total disaster – and having Dumbledore win would be as terrible. Draco continued to tell himself he would have the last laugh – and that made the insults trivial to him.

Harry turned a lot of Ron's sniping about Draco's Slytherin roots back on him, bringing up the fact that all houses had good points and all had turned out excellent witches and wizards. Mentions of 'Malfoys having too much money to be nice' were turned back with the reminder that 'Harry had money, too'.

Through the week Hermione had tried to show off her vast knowledge to Harry and draw him into conversations to show him that having her as a best friend would benefit him scholastically … and that others (Draco) were leading him down the wrong path. The only problem was that Draco seemed to be as well – read as her on magical theory and as far as the wizarding world went … well he seemed to be able to disprove much of what she said about the 'backwardness' of magical traditions or beliefs. Worse, many times Harry countered what she said as well.

The twins and a puzzled Percy tried to back Ron at times, but seemed at a loss as to how to influence a knowledgeable and serenely happy Harry Potter who was being trailed around by a _**nice, polite, muggle - loving **_Malfoy. Weasleys tended to only rarely send letters to parents – they were usually busy ducking howlers from home, but several were sent to the Burrow with flight enhancing spells on the owls that week.

Now it was Friday and his first double potions class was about to begin – Slytherins and Gryffindors. Harry and Draco had been preparing Seamus and Dean for the class – telling them what to study … and what to expect. Seamus – already trying to be a 'lady's man' had passed the information off to Pavarti, Lavender … and Hermione as well, although she seemed skeptical that Seamus had anything to off academically.

Ron had looked horrified at the idea of studying ahead, he barely opened the books to do the bare minimum when all four of the other dorm mates did and would yell at him for not keeping quiet so they could do their work.

Harry and Draco had laughingly told Seamus and Dean … in the middle of the common room, where everyone was likely listening in … that Professor Snape 'had a flair for the dramatic' and to not let his theatrics frighten them too badly.

"All that unrelieved black he wears and the whirling robes … I'm pretty sure he's borrowing the whole persona from muggle movies about vampires. It is pretty effective." Harry smiled as Dean visibly mulled that thought around in his head.

"He's always said he absolutely must keep order in the potions class because the class can be so dangerous. The easiest way to keep order is to have the class too scared of the teacher to mess up by being stupid." Draco had said complacently. He'd already memorized a good part of the potions texts and he'd always enjoyed helping Narcissa with her greenhouse and garden – he knew his plants.

Angelina and Katie – both third year girls had looked doubtful. They and been listening in on their conversation quite unabashedly. "I don't get that – yeah, exploding cauldrons can be painful … but dangerous? And Professor Snape goes beyond scary and into terrifying." Katie had said with a frown.

"Potions class is quite dangerous – if you look at the yearly statistics that the wizarding schools put out only the senior classes in Dark Arts in the schools that offer that class equal it in serious injury and accidental deaths." Draco said positively.

The entire common room was listening, now, and not even trying to pretend they weren't. The older students rethought some of the strictness they'd been subjected to and felt maybe the Professor had at least some reason for it. It didn't make them like Snape … he strayed too far into the sneering, hateful area at times.

Percy had nodded at this. He was wary of the information Malfoy was spreading this week, but this at least was true. "Professor Snape has been the teacher for Potions for almost ten years … the school has never had a death in potions during that time and the number of injuries is much less than other schools. It's one of the reasons that Hogwarts is one of the premier wizarding schools. A lot of the other schools have Potions as an elective starting in third year to cut down on injuries."

The twins had glanced at Percy in irritation. Finding ways to make cauldrons explode in an interesting manner was one of their favorite pastimes. They had always figured that Snape was just a spoilsport when he 'over-reacted' to their pranks. This information had sobered them a bit. Maybe they should be really careful in future.

Severus shook his head and smiled, remembering Draco telling him of the conversation. He then did his usual dramatic entrance into the Potions classroom, striding down the aisle between desks and whirling around, making his cloak flair theatrically. He was a bit surprised when all the children were smiling at him. The Slytherins knew they had nothing to fear as long as they behaved – but the other Houses usually reacted with nervous alarm. He sighed, that conversation in the Gryffindor common room perhaps had been too effective.

He gave his usual melodramatic speech but was met with appreciative grins from the Gryffindors and was greeted with applause at the end by them … the Slytherins hesitantly joined in and looked almost as puzzled as Severus. Severus would have suspected a prank – but the bright-eyed innocence in their gazes said not. He glanced at the cheerfully beaming Draco and Harry and knew who to blame for the sudden drop in his fearsomeness factor.

To counteract the boys' work he gave a follow-up speech detailing the detentions with disgusting potions ingredients they could expect if they did anything remotely dangerous in his classroom. To his surprise the children all nodded solemnly … except for Weasley, who looked bored and sullen.

Severus did his usual 'pop quiz' to show the students that, yes, he expected them to read ahead. Draco prompted Dean to answer one question, Pansy answered one, and then the irrepressible Miss Granger answered the last of the three questions. He knew he would need to do something about her before she started just shouting answers out. Still, by the glint in Albus and Minerva's eyes, he knew they were banking on either Miss Granger or the youngest Weasley still managing to befriend Harry. Luckily the boys were expected 'to visit Draco's godfather' that afternoon.

Severus had long ago secured his office against Albus. True, the Headmaster could enter anywhere he wished in the school, but there were no eavesdropping portraits and everything in the room had been meticulously checked for listening charms. Lucius and Narcissa had 'dropped by' and done some checking as well. Narcissa had left a rather cute porcelain lion in red and gold that she had said would negate any listening charm for a hundred feet on all directions – in case any had been cast on the boys. It wasn't fool-proof, but it should be enough.

Severus let Harry and Draco crow a bit about their successes so far … they were young enough to need the positive reinforcement to prop up their courage. It was early in the year, so nothing was really expected to be accomplished as yet other than dodging Granger and Weasley's attempts at swaying Harry away from Draco and his family.

Severus eventually interrupted them to give them a warning. "Something is definitely wrong with Professor Quirrell … and it's been confirmed by the fact that Albus poo-poo's the idea with a twinkle in his eyes … that means he already knows and _wants_ the man here. He's built this gauntlet to get to the Sorcerer's Stone specifically to attract the Dark Lord and to train Harry. He says the Stone is safe – and that much I believe … he wants that for himself, most likely."

Severus and the Malfoys had discussed several scenarios. The most popular had been that Albus would have the stone "get stolen" and then blame the disappearance of the stone on the Dark Lord and keep it for himself "for the greater good".

Severus intended to use that scenario for his own plot – let Albus think he was getting away with something.

Severus looked at the boys seriously. "Quirrell reeks of the Dark Lord's magic …" The boys looked abruptly much more serious as Severus began. " … I'm not sure if he is merely in league with him – or if he is possessed by him …" the boys looked alarmed at the thought – as well they should. "So I need you to never be alone with him, and keep your eyes wide open for any signs of his real motives or goals."

Harry snorted. "No matter which it is his motives and goals are obvious – bringing the Dark Lord back and conquering the wizarding word one country at a time – and destroying muggles and muggleborns."

Severus glared and then smirked, "Perhaps I should have said, 'short term goals'. He wants the stone, obviously, but he'll be interested in Harry – and his friends. He may try to get information from one of you … especially you, Draco, as you are my godson he may hope I have let slip some information to you."

"Won't he try to recruit you? My father is outed as a traitor, now – he's been telling everyone that will listen about the sheer numbers of muggles and that we need to learn to co-exist with them and perhaps learn to counteract the things we've been complaining about instead of sitting back and whining – like pollution and all that." Draco looked anxious for his godfather.

Severus nodded with a faint smile, hiding the flare of anxiety that question caused. "Yes, and you know that if pressed, I will need to appear to be loyal to him … in fact, for my plan to work that will occur very soon. Plus - you need to start 'bonding' with your Head of House - McGonagall."

The boys were dismayed, but nodded in agreement. They could endure the meeting with her if necessary. And as long as Severus could be exonerated of all wrong - doing after the Dark Lord's … and Dumbledore's defeat, they did not care if he had to pretend to be evil.

The three conspirators plotted until the dinner bell chimed and they made their way to the great hall – walking in together, Severus in the middle with a hand on each boy's shoulder. He gave a scheming smile and a faint nod to Albus, giving him the agreed upon signal that he'd managed to talk Harry into coming to Minerva for stories about his parents.

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The following weeks fell into a rhythm. Draco, Seamus and Dean were seen together almost as often as Harry and Draco. Draco was dispersing information at a rate that had never been seen before – mostly by inducing Dean and Seamus to talk about the muggle world. The muggle studies class had swelled to triple in size with all the late sign-ups that were allowed in the first 2 weeks of classes. Charity Burbage tried to stem the tide of information to what Albus wanted, but the muggleborns and half-bloods constantly corrected her and they now mostly ran the classes – the half-bloods knew what information the wizard-born needed explained and the muggleborn could explain anything the half-bloods might be confused about, themselves.

Oddly, the Slytherins – almost every single one – had signed up for the course, to Albus' horror. They listened closely in class, saying nothing in derision – though there was an occasional sneer. They asked astute questions and even on occasion would corner a muggleborn to have some point or other explained in greater detail. They were always scrupulously … if coldly … polite.

Lucius had disseminated information on the muggles to great effect. The purebloods had reacted in many different ways. Some panicked and tried to find areas of the world with 'fewer muggles' only to find that those were now in short supply. Some had sent flocks of owls to Lucius for ideas on how to deal with the overwhelming odds they suddenly realized they faced.

Lucius had numerous plots that he started planting in their head. Most – for now - involved storming the ministry with demands that security be updated … a lot.

The darkest families reacted with disbelief at first, then when Lucius' information proved true they sulked, got drunk, went muggle baiting (while drunk) and got arrested, and in one case simply committed suicide.

None the less, the pureblood – and some half-blood - children at Hogwarts received explicit instructions from parents to cause no trouble and to learn all they could about the muggles and muggleborn and 'to report back to them over the Yule holidays'.

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Quirrell tried to stalk Harry Potter with little success during this time. Malfoy and those other two – Thomas and Finnegan were constantly with him, and those four were stalked by that mudblood Granger and the blood traitors – the Weasleys – not only Ron, but the twins and the prefect Percy as well.

It would have been amusing to watch if it wasn't thwarting his own efforts. He was very curious as to how he'd been bested by the boy and his mother. Of course, the boy would have no idea of how it had occurred, but he was curious none the less. He wouldn't mind leaving Harry Potter's corpse behind for Dumbledore when he left with the stone – that would be a nice little payback, he felt.

It was Halloween now and he had almost no clue as to how to get through the gauntlet. Some of the traps would be ridiculously easy for him … others, not so much. He was sure that his old school adversary Minnie McGonagall knew all the traps … but Severus Snape very well might as well. He'd remained tight with the Headmaster even after Voldemort had been 'defeated', staying at his post as ordered. Of course that was also the safest place for someone bearing the Mark.

Still he wouldn't begrudge Snape his refuge … not when it meant assistance for him, now. As long as Severus was cooperative … and if not, he would arrange a tragic fate for his old spy.

He considered his options and decided to go ahead and let the troll loose, creating chaos and headed toward the third floor, meeting Severus there – and chuckled. He had always admired Severus' quick mind and resourcefulness.

Severus hovered over him menacingly, but Voldemort – completely in control of Quirrell at that time said, "Nice to see you again, Severusss. I'm glad you kept to your post, I have a task for you."

Severus paled and wilted a bit. Even though he knew Voldemort was using Quirrell in some way, being confronted with his old master was daunting. "Master? I knew you were near … I did not guess that Professor Quirrell was helping you …" He broke off, unsure of how much to give away.

Voldemort merely snickered making Severus a little queasy. Quirrell's lips weren't moving and his eyes were glassy – the voice was coming from somewhere behind Quirrell. Severus didn't like thinking about why that was.

"You know the Headmassster has the Sorcerer'sss Stone." Voldemort said. "I need you to assist me in acquiring it."

Severus had known this was coming and was a little prepared. "I will get the information on the traps out of the other professors – and any tricks on getting through easily. It will take time, so that they are not suspicious, but we will get the stone." Severus thought swiftly. They would need to find all the Horcruxes before the gauntlet's riddles were solved or he would have to redo his own plans. That would be unfortunate, but he did have back-up plans – B, C, D, E … and if necessary F as well, though that was a rather desperate 'get out alive' plan.

"Professor Quirrell and I will find a way past the Cerebus – you work on the others." Voldemort ordered, and the two Professors parted ways.

Severus returned to the Great Hall to find an eager Ron, irritated Draco and indifferent Harry being awarded points for rescuing a triumphant looking Hermione Grange from a mountain troll. Minerva was smugly smiling at her lions and insisting they all come up to tea the next day. She was scheduling teas several times every evening – she had to include the other first years, to keep up appearances and some of the other Gryffindors who wished to speak with her. But she managed to get Harry there at least weekly, now 'to talk about his parents, etc.'

Albus looked satisfied with things and that relieved Severus … keeping Albus believing all was well with Albus' plans was imperative for now.

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November was passing swiftly, but Lucius reported that he and Narcissa had destroyed the diary – _fiendfyre_ worked admirably. Narcissa had retrieved the cup and it was identified as having the same dark magic as the diary. It, too, burned quite nicely. They had heard further talk of Ravenclaw's diadem and the Slytherin necklace, reinforcing what he had heard from Albus. The ring Albus wished to go after must be the last piece as long as the snake remained as she was.

Severus wondered at times where Nagini was, but it didn't really matter, he thought. He had other worries. Ron Weasley assumed that he was now Harry's bestest ever friend and simply started behaving like he was. Hermione and Ron flanked him whenever they could, trying to edge Draco out, Hermione talking non-stop into Harry's ear. It was well into November, now and Severus was sure that either Draco or Harry was going to break and tell off the two of them.

Draco and Harry still managed to talk to Severus on their free Friday afternoons – mostly because they were right after potions and Severus simply kept them after class. Hermione would sniff and look at Professor Snape and Draco with suspicion. Ron merely glowered with anger … resentful that he could not keep Harry from them.

They had lunch together first those Fridays – this gave both Draco and Harry time to vent their deep frustration over not only Ron and Hermione, but Professor McGonagall as well. She felt there was now a chink in Harry's armor and pounded at it whenever she could. Her teas had become attempts at brainwashing sessions with the Malfoys and the Slytherins her targets. She left Severus alone at the present, but they all felt that once they'd pried Draco away from him, Severus would be next.

Draco cold hardly wait for the Yule holiday – less than a month away. The expectations that had been heaped on him – to be polite in the face of such scorn, disrespect and hostility from the Weasleys and a few others – it was almost unbearable at times. He fully expected to be compensated with a really fast broom for Christmas.

"Most of the Gryffindors are okay." Harry said at this latest Friday meeting. "Everyone but Ron and Hermione in our year like Draco. The other years don't pay that much attention to us, except for the twins." Harry smirked at that.

The twins had done their best to impress Harry with their pranks. Harry had let off a lot of anger with counterplots against them. When the twins 'got someone' he and Draco would help them with an even meaner revenge. At times he would hear about it ahead of time and they would booby trap the prank against them. He always felt better after the twins were well-hexed by their own pranks.

Severus and Draco smiled at that as well. Draco was often the target of the twins 'fun', though they had let up after their last spell had hexed them bald. Professor Flitwick had let them stay that was for two days before 'finding' the counter-spell. They would be more careful to find the cure themselves before they used hexes, he was sure.

"Quirrell has gotten his hands on a large stack of books about magical animals. He'll likely find the information he needs to get by Fluffy. I won't be able to hold him off a great deal longer after that unless I reveal his plans to Albus so that he'll move the stone … I'll do that if necessary, of course. Unfortunately he seems to think that Harry should rescue the stone – he's quite put out that Harry isn't responding to any hints dropped in front of him by Minerva, Ron or Hermione."

The boys nodded and snickered. It had been difficult to act as dense as a rock while Hermione was constantly on about the Cerebus she had 'stumbled on' was guarding something important. Minerva had let slip that Flamel was a friend of Albus' and was doing him some favor or other. And Ron harping about how it was likely that Draco and his family would do anything to bring back 'He who must be named'… and as Draco's godfather, Snape was not above suspicion. All three were all but dragging him to the third floor and shoving him down the trapdoor.

Harry smirked. His blanket response was "Surely the great wizard who even 'He who must not be named' feared did not need his help to keep safe whatever it is being guarded." It seemed to drive them absolutely batty.

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Hermione sat pouring over a book in the library, Ron sitting opposite pretending to study charms – but she could see the Quidditch magazine tucked inside it. How did anyone expect her to make headway on things with such an anchor around her neck. It was only two weeks now before the holidays and she was now making little headway on Harry.

For a time she thought she could sway him – after he'd helped rescue her he had tolerated her presence as well as Ron's a bit more. Their Head of House had arranged all those teas and managed to have many of them without Draco. Harry seemed oblivious to the tales of evil Slytherins and Malfoys of the past and Harry's own parents fight against the Dark Lord. Harry would just smile and sometimes counter with the fact that a Gryffindor had betrayed them. That always made McGonagall flush with humiliation.

Ron was not even as subtle as that … he outright called Professor Snape evil and Draco a Death Eater in training when Harry would laugh at Ron's speculations about 'the greasy git likely trying to steal … 'whatever is was' below the trapdoor.' Unfortunately that would make Harry's well hidden temper flare.

Hermione shuddered; Harry's temper was chilling at times. The last time Ron had insulted Snape Harry had turned pale in fury and returned fire with viciousness. "I'd rather hang around a 'greasy git' than a loudmouth who shows his stupidity with every breath he draws." Harry's eyes had narrowed with malice and the whole common room had held their breath waiting for what would come next. Harry could be quite inventive with insults – likely the result of 'hanging around' Snape. "If a zombie looking for brains to eat happened by, he'd walk right past you, wouldn't he?"

The common room had roared with laughter and Harry had gone upstairs with an air of triumph. Ron wasn't speaking to any of his roommates, now because they had all laughed. Harry didn't seem likely to ever apologize and make up with Ron. That was a week ago and Hermione was tired the standoff – since she was expected by their Head of House to stick by Ron and get them reconciled. A hopeless task, she knew.

At last Draco and Harry arrived, along with Dean and Seamus. Dean and Seamus sat next to Ron, Harry and Draco on the other side of them, away from Ron.

Hermione took out the pens she'd sent to her mother for and yelped in disgust. The ink had run out everywhere and the plastic looked like it was melting. There were titters of laughter from around the library when they saw what had happened.

Harry looked sympathetic, "Didn't you realize that pens from the muggle world won't work here – the magic destroys things that are so very … unnatural, like plastic. Besides, if you don't like dipping the quills in ink, never-out quills are just as good."

Hermione flushed with anger. "I don't understand why magic accepts some things from the muggle world and not others." She muttered. "The books just say that 'things that are artificial' tend to be 'undone'. But it doesn't explain why some things seem to be accepted and not others."

Cedric Diggory and Angelina Johnson were talking about Quidditch plays a bit farther down the table and Cedric answered. "It depends on how 'artificial' they are. Things made of that 'plastic' fall apart immediately … other things like something made of a mix of artificial material and, say, wool will just wear out quicker than normal. There are books that explain it in detail – for some reason they don't have them in the library here – but you can order them."

Draco and Harry looked at each other … those books were of paramount importance to muggleborns – books that explained why they could have some things and not others. There were probably books on how to shield things so they would work around magic … at least a little. More than one muggle – born likely ran back to wherever they came from because things weren't explained.

A pretty Ravenclaw girl with long curling hair sitting next to Percy leaned forward to talk. "I had trouble understanding all of it – and I'm a half-blood. Luckily my mother was able to find books on getting around a few things. She had adapted pretty well in using only magical things, but she wanted me to know how muggle stuff worked as well. Anything electronic – and wiring for electrical stuff has to be shielded with lead at least six inches thick all around – but it can be done. My mother just lined one entire room and all the muggle stuff is in it."

Penelope Clearwater … as her name turned out to be - had an entire list of books, she made copies of the list for everyone. She answered a lot of questions they all had while Draco grabbed his copy of the list and started scribbling off a letter to Lucius – these books might be invaluable for them as well.

Ron had been listened with a sulky look, but he narrowed his eyes at the letter Draco was writing. "Running to your father with information, little spy?"

Draco glared right back while those at the table listened. "Yes – I do have information for him. He'll be very interested in these books … we might be able to bring a few muggle comforts to Harry's Uncle and cousin with them. Not everything is about the Dark Lord you know."

Most at the table nodded in agreement and approval. Ron looked sulky again. Hermione picked up on the name, though.

"You shouldn't call him that … only Death Eaters call him that from what I've read. You should call him by his name … Voldemort." She frowned at the flinching and gasps from around the table, even Harry looked startled. "Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself." She added rather pompously.

"You don't know … do you?" Harry answered her with irritation. "You really think people call the Dark Lord by all those ridiculous names 'Lord Thingy' … 'He who must not be name' and all that rot because they are cowards or stupid or something?"

Hermione looked confused at this, but she was receiving a lot of glares from everyone within hearing of them and suddenly thought that maybe she hadn't looked deeply enough into things, perhaps. "The Headmaster calls him Lord Vo…" Hissing from everyone at the table cut her off.

"Of course he does – the Dark Lord fears him." Harry answered calmly. "The Dark Lord made his name 'taboo' … he cast a spell that made his name a locator … if you said his name it summoned either him or one of his followers and they would apparate to your side … and kill you or take you to him to be tortured and killed. The Headmaster knows he can say the name ... and they are unlikely to take up the challenge."

Hermione was stunned … why had no one said this? She sighed – another one of those things that everyone just 'knew' and didn't explain. Still, she felt foolish at not having asked about it before giving a lecture. "Sorry, I didn't know." She said in a small voice. She was relieved that most nodded in acceptance.

It was a few minutes before anyone thought to wonder why the Headmaster seemed to encourage muggleborns to say the Dark Lord's name … and never explained the terrible danger he was inspiring them to go into. Did he want them to die at the Dark Lord's hand?

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A/N – That's all for now. Spending a lot of time at festivals and the beach, so the updates are slower.


	9. Chapter 9

PB9

Disclaimer – Just having fun taking a joyride with JKR's characters.

Chapter 9

The teachers and students were happily winding up the last few days before the winter holiday. Hermione and many of the other muggleborns were quite curious about the taboo on the Dark Lord's name. Hermione asked Professor McGonagall quite bluntly at the next tea – with Ron and Harry – as to why, if it was so dangerous, the Headmaster encouraged the use of Lord Voldemort's name.

Minerva was taken aback and answered a bit nervously. She and Albus had never expected anyone to address that … they were supposed to just believe that the Great Albus Dumbledore was simply brave and expecting others to be as brave. The fact that they were encouraging this in vulnerable children was somehow 'overlooked'. Being called on that fact was startling … Less than a year ago being brought to task on anything regarding Albus simply would never have occurred.

She, herself, didn't quite get why he wanted that – although he insisted there was no danger since the Dark Lord had disappeared.

"The taboo was placed on 'He Who Must Not Be Named's' title during the last war … and yes, it was dangerous to use back then … but after Harry defeated him, the magic was broken, and his name is safe to use again." Minerva bestowed a proud smile on the unimpressed Harry.

Harry simply gave her a level stare in return. "But he is not gone … not totally. Everyone whispers that he'll be back. The Headmaster believes it as well, and then the name will likely be taboo again and all these people will be in the habit of saying his name and at risk … after all, habits are hard to break."

Ron watched the exchange with a puzzled frown. Yes, the Headmaster said 'He Who Must Not Be Named's' name without flinching … but so what? That just showed bravery. Ron had never seen him _**insisting**_ the name be used … at least not when he visited the Weasleys, and surely he'd be insisting on that with members of his Order first?

To Minerva's dismay, Ron leaped in with that very argument. "The Headmaster never asks that of my family – and I've never seen him try to get any of my family's friends to say it … are you sure he really wants you to say 'Lord …. Um Thingy'?"

Minerva quelled the urge to strangle the redhead, while Harry just smiled. Hermione froze, her mind quickly making connections. The Weasleys were purebloods … and likely the majority of their friends were as well – or at least well established half-bloods with ties to Dumbledore, or members of his "Order". He wouldn't risk them. It was muggleborns or those with little ties to the wizarding world that were of little use to him that he was encouraging to make such fatal mistakes.

Minerva watched Hermione pale and sit back in her chair, setting the teacup down. Miss Granger had no more questions for her Head of House, it seemed. Ron looked puzzled. He knew something important was escaping him, but what?

Harry sipped at his tea. He'd barely had to do a thing. He was quite sure he would not need to dodge Granger anymore … she might even become useful after she had worked all of this out in her head.

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Harry had his trunk out, getting the majority of things packed. They would be leaving for home in two days. Ah, home … that sounded so very good. He started packing books into the 'library' section of the trunk. He'd been making a list of books he intended to order for his own collection. He knew that Malfoy Manor had a brilliant library, but he intended to have one of his own as well.

Draco and Seamus had run down to lunch already, exchanging last minute plans. Draco wanted to visit and see a real pub … and a game or two on the 'telly' with Seamus. Dean hoped to meet up with them. He just had to convince his parents to let him floo from the Leaky Cauldron to Seamus' home in Ireland. Harry intended to check with Dudley and Uncle Vernon before committing to the plan.

Seamus had invited Ron as well. Ron had said he would ask his parents, and took down Seamus' floo address. He'd been thinking hard since the tea with their Head of House. It was slowly seeping in that his family didn't have any muggleborn friends and only a few acquaintances that were muggleborn. Ottery-St-Catchpole had several wizarding families in it – all of them pureblood or close to it. The Diggorys, the Fawcetts … not much in the way of muggleborns there.

There were several half-bloods in the Order as well as some muggleborns, none of which seem to have much to do with the muggle world anymore – and none of which the Weasley family had ever had over for dinner. True, his father Arthur was fascinated by muggles, but that didn't seem to translate to having any family friends that were muggleborn.

He'd never questioned his family's loyalty to Dumbledore and the Order. It was simply a fact of life that Albus Dumbledore was always correct and the Weasley family followed his lead. Now, it was seeping into his mind that, perhaps Albus was wrong in encouraging the use of 'He Who Must Be Named's' title by Muggleborns and some of the halfbloods. He likely was just trying to stir them into action against the Dark Lord instead of scurrying back to the muggle world. However, they really needed to be warned of the danger beforehand, so they had a choice.

Ron sighed, it was a blow to realize Dumbledore was not infallible, but that was no reason to abandon his cause. He would need to impress that upon Harry … and the others.

Ron glanced over at Harry, who was packing his trunk, leaving just a few changes of clothing out. Ron grimaced. Harry was unlikely to listen to him … perhaps he should wait until after Christmas. He was tired of the constant bickering with his dorm mates. None of them ever sided with him and he was sick of being the odd man out.

He'd made up with Dean and Seamus and was talking with Harry, now. It seemed better to just pretend the pointy prat Malfoy didn't exist. He knew he had no subtlety, he would have wait and simply point out Albus' good points and instances when Albus was correct. After all the history books were full of Albus' exploits against Grindelwald and of his heroics in the first war against the Dark Lord.

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Harry wandered out of the dorm the evening before they would depart. It had been an interesting few months. He adored Hogwarts … but he would be glad to get back to his home. He missed his Uncle and cousin … and very much missed the horses. Rusty was running in a race the end of December, along with the grey.

Draco had run to the dungeons for a few last-minute words with the Slytherins. Blaise and Pansy, along with Theo had gradually warmed up to Harry and his friends. Their parents were seeing the need to keep any and all wizards and witches _**in**_ the wizarding world … not driving them out and their children were getting orders to get friendly with Harry and Draco, if they could.

It was a sad, but obvious fact that they needed the muggleborns and half-bloods. But, Slytherins were realists and quickly switched ideologies to that of "everyone is welcome". The only irritation being that they now were adopting the Hufflepuff code.

Harry strolled around the seventh floor – not intending to go far, just wandering to look out windows. He found a convenient alcove and curled up behind a curtain and gaze out across the lake, watching the snow fall. It would soon have been a year since Aunt Petunia had died. So much had changed since then.

He heard whispering and footsteps and he pulled back further, hoping to not be seen. Ah – the twins. They likely were planning a prank – hearing ahead of time would let him sabotage whatever they'd planned.

He clearly heard the twins say, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" which made him poke his head around the curtain. To his surprise they were holding what appeared to be a map. From what they were saying the little moving dots that were labeled were the occupants of the castle.

Ingenious. He'd obviously greatly underestimated the twins ability … then he heard them crowing about having nicked the map from Filch. "Those Marauders were geniuses … coming up with this map – we owe them so much."

Harry froze – weren't the Marauders? ... yes, he was sure that his father and his friends had called themselves the Marauders. Aunt Petunia had mentioned it once. Harry's temper started to rise. He had only a few mementos of his parents … and the twins had something belonging to James. He thought about demanding it of them … but they would object and if taken to a teacher it would likely be confiscated.

Harry listened to the plotting by the twins and then heard "Mischief Managed!" Obviously the Marauders liked whimsical activation and deactivation phrases. He watched one of the twins shove the map into his pocket haphazardly, reminding him of the rich owner at the track – and the wallet he'd made fall from his pocket. He fought briefly with his conscience … he hated stealing and didn't like doing even this – although, could you steal a stolen object? … and the map had belonged to his father – it was his, surely?

Harry stretched out his left hand – he'd found that he was still better with wandless magic when the spell called for a delicate touch and being subtle. The map quivered and worked its way out of the pocket and then flew into Harry's hands. Harry quickly left the alcove and went the opposite way down the hall just as he heard a shout from the twins, who realized the map was gone.

Harry gave up trying to be quiet and ran around a corner and down a hall, there was a large tapestry – perhaps he could hide behind it, it was of some wizard and a bunch of trolls in tutus. No – they would see the lump – and his feet since the tapestry didn't reach the floor. He could hear the twins and looked down the hall – it was a dead end. He needed somewhere to hide and quickly.

To his astonishment a door suddenly materialized in the wall across from the tapestry. Harry hesitated and then opened the door and after closing it, placed a strong locking charm that Severus had shown him, followed by another that Lucius had made him learn. He sighed and turned around and laughed – the room was huge, and pack full of things. He wandered down a few of the aisles between objects. People must have been hiding things here for centuries. He picked up a few of the books; some were ancient and nearly unreadable. He snickered – a few were 'girly magazines', and there were quite a few steamy muggle romance novels with scantily clad women and impossibly handsome men on the covers.

There were some chests – some had clothing spilling out of them, one appeared to be full of gold coins and jewels. He hesitated to touch anything or open any closed chests – and he carefully avoided the potions vials with malevolently glinting liquids. He gaped at the winged catapults that were floating in midair.

Harry wandered back to the door and pulled out the map. The room itself was not on the map … maybe the Marauders never found it to place on the map. He did see that the twins were now in their dorm – with Ron and Percy. Likely a family strategy session. Still – it was safe to leave after removing the locking spells … he wasn't sure if they worked or if the door had disappeared after he'd entered.

Harry raced to the dungeons and knocked on Severus' door. He eagerly told Severus of his adventure, handing the map to him and waving both arms to describe the Room.

Severus stared at the map and carefully blanked his face for a moment, struggling with old feelings of fury at wrongs done. Finally he simply pushed them aside to deal with later. Harry - and the here and now - were more important. He gave Harry an approving smile as Harry's tale came to its conclusion.

"… and then I came straight to you!" Harry ended with a brilliant grin.

Severus carefully handed back the map to Harry so he wouldn't be tempted to incinerate it. All this time he'd thought the Marauders had been skillful at ambushing … instead they'd been cheating. No matter though … he had the map at his disposal now. That alone would have James Potter turning over in his grave. He firmly reminded himself that living well was the best revenge.

"You may have solved several problems at once, Harry." Severus smiled while Harry settled in a chair and took a macadamia nut / white chocolate biscuit Severus offered from his private stash. "Albus has been getting impatient. Our little 'stories' we've been making up about how are now looking for a Horcrux hidden in the school at his request … and how you are becoming 'suspicious' of Professor Quirrell – they kept him happy for a time, but he's itching for something tangible. This 'Room of Hidden Things' is perfect – even if the Horcrux is not there, you have obviously been busy doing the task the Headmaster has set you on … or at least it will seem that way to him."

"Brilliant." Harry beamed, he'd been afraid they would start making him have tea with Dumbledore – maybe this would satisfy them.

Harry and Severus made their way to the seventh floor – avoiding students and Minerva with the map.

"Maybe you should hang onto the map, for now, Professor." Harry said brightly. "If you have it I know it can't get stolen or confiscated … you'll give it back if I need it."

Severus smiled and nodded. He was heartened by Harry's trust. He might need the boy's implicit trust if his plan A, B or C did not work and he had to resort to plan D, E or … Merlin forbid, plan F.

They entered the Room and, although he'd been warned, he still gasped in astonishment. The Room was just so … so … big!

"We've destroyed the cup and the diary … Albus is after the ring … so it is either the Slytherin necklace or Rowena's diadem we are looking for." Severus said as they started searching around the room. Severus stared longingly at the mountains of books and wondered about all those potions vials. He vowed to come back during the winter break and excavate.

A yelp and "Hey, look at this Professor!" alerted him and he wove his way back to Harry. Harry was staring at a bust of an important looking wizard that had a wig and a diadem on his head. "That kind of looks like the one on the statue of Rowena in the Ravenclaw common room – Padma showed it to us when Pavarti took us with her to visit her sister."

Severus raised an eyebrow – such mingling among the students would have been unthinkable last year – now it was more and more common. Severus waved a spell over the diadem – definitely a dark artifact. He reached a hand out hovering it over the object. The feel of it was sickening and caused a searing pain in his left arm where the faded mark was.

"Yes, you have definitely found it, Harry." Severus smiled at the boy again. He conjured a bag and _hovered_ the diadem into it, taking care to not touch it directly. He and Harry left the room in triumph and Severus shooed Harry to the dorm. He needed to decide how much to reveal to Albus.

Harry changed into pajamas and got the trunk packed except for a changed of clothing and a cloak. The pajamas he could toss into the laundry here. He held a whispered conversation with Draco, telling him about the 'adventure' and Draco whispered the results of his visit to the Slytherin dorm. Harry was curious to see the dorm and Draco was eager to see 'the Room'. So they had things to look forward to when they returned.

That night was filled with happy dreams of racing brooms and dragonhide boots. The 'send-off' breakfast was perfect. The prank that Harry had overheard the twins planning back-fired perfectly, just as Harry and Draco had arranged. The bowl of porridge they had sabotaged erupted and hit the twins, covering them with the pasty goo - and turning their skin an amazing pink and orange plaid pattern that clashed rather unfortunately with their red hair.

The entire school erupted in laughter and the hilarity followed them onto the train home. The twins tried to grin at the snickers and pointing, but it wore thin rather quickly. They found little sympathy with the other students. Even the Hufflepuffs sneered just a bit. Cedric just glared and answered their complaints with anger.

"You did the same prank last year on one of us Hufflepuffs – you said he was just a poor sport and had no sense of humor for complaining and being angry." Cedric turned and shut the door to his compartment on them.

They eventually found a compartment of older Gryffindor boys who spent a lot of time making poor jokes about the clashing colors. They thought long and hard on what Cedric said and about whether they would want the pranks they had been doing done to them.

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Harry and Draco met Lucius and Narcissa at the train station and apparated home with them. Uncle Vernon and Dudley were waiting for Harry and the three trooped into their house, eager to catch up. Harry brought them up to speed telling them of the latest Horcrux he and Severus had found. Vernon just shook his head … the whole 'splitting ones soul' thing sounded dodgy to him.

Dudley looked puzzled, "Why does this Headmaster act like he supports muggleborns – and at the same time tries to be rid of them? There must be a reason?"

Harry nodded. "Severus is trying to get to the bottom of that. Severus says it is a good cover, though. If the Headmaster wanted muggleborns and half-bloods to either be completely loyal to him – or totally gone from the wizarding world with no middle ground, this would be the way to do it. Muggleborns and half-bloods that don't do exactly as he wants are likely a danger to whatever he's after."

"Wow, that's pretty messed up, Harry." Dudley mused. "Severus better watch his step – Dumbledore is sneakier than we thought."

Harry nodded emphatically.

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Severus entered Albus' office with trepidation. What would he do if the Headmaster didn't want to destroy the Horcrux right now? He absolutely needed all the Horcruxes gone – except for Harry. Luck was with him, though and Albus beamed at the diadem and urged Severus to dispose of it. Then, Albus looked thoughtful.

"Exactly how can the Horcruxes be destroyed? When I find the ring … I don't want it totally destroyed – just the Horcrux part." Albus looked anxious and this confused Severus.

"Well, _fiendfyre_ is the one spell that is sure to destroy the Horcruxes … but that will destroy the artifact as well …" Severus thought swiftly. Why this anxiety over a ring? "I've read that there are some substances that will kill a Horcrux – Basilisk venom was mentioned."

Albus perked up. "So I would just need to inject some into the stone to destroy the Horcrux and the ring will be intact?"

Severus nodded slowly in response. "That does seem to be the case …" But _**why **_go to all that trouble over a ring? "Of course even the few drops you would need for that would be ruinously expensive." Severus watched Albus closely. There was a wince at the mention of the cost, but he still seemed resolved to do it.

Severus was uneasy over this, but Albus still refused to explain. Severus had to be satisfied that another Horcrux would be destroyed, but the importance of what it had been encased in would remain a secret … for now. But, Albus moved along to another touchy area – he wanted to visit Harry to give him a gift on Christmas. Severus had consulted with Vernon and Lucius by owl and they had decided the best course of action.

"Well, Christmas Day is going to be just family at the Dursley's and the day after they will be at the Leopardtown Racecourse for their Christmas festival and racing – his favorite is running." Albus looked impatient at Severus' dissertation. Severus sneered, and of course Albus thought it was at Harry's devotion to a horse that didn't even belong to him. "However, I have persuaded Lucius to have you come to the little Christmas Eve get together. The Malfoys and Dursley – and Harry Potter will be giving each other gifts and opening any other gifts that are not from immediate 'family'. You can give the gift then."

Albus shifted and frowned. He'd hoped to give the cloak in private – hopefully win Harry over with a gift of Harry's father's most treasured possession as a boy. Swearing the boy to secrecy could have been accomplished and if the cloak had stayed fairly secret it would have been easy to get back after the lad was dead. After all – he had the wand, was about to get the ring – the cloak would be the final link. He was only willing to relinquish it in an all-out effort to get Harry Potter to trust him.

There was the added bonus of course of encouraging risky behavior in the boy … after all, if he got killed doing something – well, childish, and ended up dead it couldn't be laid at his feet … and then the wizarding world would have only Albus Dumbledore to look to as a savior when the Dark Lord appeared.

Still better, if the Malfoys and Dursleys were aware of the cloak and Harry was harmed – Lucius' reputation would be shattered and it would be whispered he'd been plotting to get The Boy Who Lived killed all along. And if he was only injured … perhaps Dursley's guardianship could be challenged. Yes, he thought with a small smile … this could work out.

Severus shivered a little at that smile … it never boded well.

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Severus assisted the three boys in decorating the large Christmas tree after lunch. Albus wasn't due until seven, so they had plenty of time. Vernon and Lucius were finalizing the arrangements for Rusty and his friend the snotty grey to spend their Christmas festival racing in the cushiest stables they would arrange while they were in Dublin for the events at Leopardstown Racecourse. Lucius was lingering over it to avoid having anything to do with tinsel and fairy lights.

The boys had already done the smaller tree at the Dursleys with the mostly muggle trimmings. Narcissa had helped Vernon get some wizarding decorations to surprise the boys with … ornaments with holiday scenes that moved – dancing snowmen and prancing reindeer, Santas doing a jig.

The Malfoy's tree was bigger and some of the decorations were obviously more expensive, but there were homey ones as well – there were ornaments with pictures of the three of them – Lucius, Narcissa and Draco - from each of the Christmases from the time Draco was a baby. They waved from out of the glass ornament at the wizards trimming the tree.

One scene from inside the bulb had a very excited Draco waving a beginners broom. Draco sent that one to the top of the tree where it would not be seen, he hoped.

The house elves helped here and there, Dudley would hand them a bulb and point to where he wanted it and the elf would wave it up to the braches Dudley couldn't reach. Dudley loved watching the ornaments levitate.

The boys were trying to make up a song for Severus while they decorated. Harry had started it out, having come up with "Deck the dungeons with …" He warbled, but could not think of what Severus was likely to decorate with.

"… with Gryffindor entrails …" Draco continued with giggles. Narcissa tsked at him disapprovingly.

"or … with hemlock and nightshade …" Dudley offered in sing-song tones.

"They would at least be useful." Severus answered, unperturbed by pre-teen humor.

Lucius sighed, just months ago Draco would never have been so brash. With constant exposure to lions his son and heir was being turned into a rash ruffian. He shook his head slightly. He and Narcissa would have to resign themselves to a lifetime of saving Draco from himself, most likely.

Still, Draco would be well - respected, 'on the right side', a friend of Harry Potter, and alive. They would learn to deal with reckless behavior if that was the trade-off.

The tree was finally trimmed and the Christmas song now had several verses though not all of them rhymed. A slightly early dinner was served while the presents from everyone not of immediate family were placed under the tree by the house elves.

They gathered around the tree after dessert and presents were passed around. Harry had several from members of the Wizengamot and Cornelius Fudge, there was even a red and gold plumed never-out quill from Rita Skeeter. They had all sent a present to Dudley as well, though they stuck to candies as they didn't seem to know what to buy him. Draco, as well, had presents from business associates of Lucius' to open.

At last they got to the presents from Vernon, Harry and Dudley for the Malfoys. They'd sent a large number of owls to each other, thinking about it. Harry had discussed the difficulty of muggle fixtures around magic … although Harry had not disturbed much with wandless magic after he practiced a bit. Dudley had wondered if solar power would be as affected. Vernon had found a fair number of little gadgets that were solar power – a windmill that turned, a small lighthouse that lit up and things like that. Lucius was quite mesmerized by the actions of the little gadgets and Narcissa could almost see plans whirling in his brain.

Dudley had bought a small stack of books on solar power – he'd even found 'An Idiot's Guide to Solar Power' and then hadn't had the nerve to actually give it, so it was still stashed in his room.

Harry and Severus had gone back to the Room of Hidden things just before Harry was to leave. Severus managed to clear a small space and then they had both incanted "_**Accio Malfoy's stuff" **_They had needed to dodge quickly before a small hill of belongings had fallen on them - after all, the spell was sending them **_every _**belongingthat was a Malfoy's that was present in the room. They'd sorted through the mess of old clothing, worthless junk … and found several things they were sure the Malfoys would want returned. They put together a box and put both their names on it as a gift to the Malfoy family.

Lucius was definitely surprised and pleased at the returned books. " … in particular this book on Arithmancy – it is part of a set, and quite irreplaceable. It's been missing since the 1700's. And this picture album that was my grandmother's … also thought lost forever."

There was an old necklace that Narcissa smiled over. It was delicate scrollwork with tiny jewels picking out a pretty design. Not particularly valuable, but it had been in the Malfoy family since the time of the founders and priceless because of that. There was also an old broom with the name Titus Malfoy on it – an antique as it had been made in 1743 for a great – great – something Uncle of Lucius'. Draco immediately wanted it to mount on his wall. Lucius shook his head and said "Why not?"

Severus was quite pleased with the rare potions ingredients and latest potions paraphernalia that the Malfoys had found for him. He never needed to buy new gadgets – he always got them for Christmas.

Vernon, Dudley and Harry had conspired together and had presented him with a box full of leaves and cones. Harry had waded through potions books and journals and found the rarest ingredient that could only be found in America. Vernon had a trainer friend with several ties to the States. When Harry said Sequoia leaves and cones from the ancient trees were what they needed, Vernon got the address of a friend of his friend and had Dudley write to him, pleading the need for a box full of leaves and cones for a science project at his school. The man had indulged him and sent it. They quickly snatched the box from Severus and placed it with the rest of his gifts … they could see he was slipping into 'planning his next potion project mode.'

The Malfoy's gave Vernon, Dudley and Harry the books on getting muggle things to work in the wizarding world and promised to help them however they could if there was something Vernon or Dudley would prefer not to do without.

Narcissa waved in some elves and they trooped in carrying five planters with small rosebushes. "I went to your old house and talked to the woman living there now … I'm afraid I made her cry with the story of how you had to leave the place … and then I asked for cuttings from your Aunt's roses. She was quite eager to let me do so … we can plant a garden at your new house if you like and put them in there." Her gift was met with hugs and a few happy tears … they had part of Petunia's garden back.

Lucius smiled at Narcissa – it had not been easy for her to navigate the muggle world even for something relatively easy like this, but she had done it – for Harry and Dudley as well as Vernon.

The floo sounded and they tensed a bit … Dumbledore had arrived, with his gift.

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A/N – And the plot continues to thicken, but Hermione is starting to catch a clue, at least.


	10. Chapter 10

PB10

Disclaimer – I don't own it – just having a party with my favorite characters.

Chapter 10

Albus entered the Malfoy's brightly decorated sitting room trailed by a happily grinning Fudge. He intended to have a witness, in case the Malfoys got ugly with him. He was relieved to see Severus ensconced in a chair surrounded by the three boys – he was sure to have persuaded Harry that Albus was just doing 'the right thing' in all that had happened and to be properly enthused that the Headmaster was bringing a present to him.

Minister Fudge greeted everyone and accepted thanks from Draco, Harry and Dudley for the presents from the Fudge family that had arrived by owl post. Albus frowned, belatedly realizing he should have brought token gifts for the other children.

Severus stood with a faint smile and suggested they let Albus speak with Harry for a bit. They'd decided to let Albus have his way – with a large number of listening spells and the room heavily warded for any spells Albus might try to cast – such as coercion and tracking charms. Lucius scowled and appeared to give in with ill grace and they left with apparent reluctance. This would reassure Albus that Severus was doing his job and had some influence with the Malfoys and Vernon Dursley.

Severus had given Harry a few pointers on handling the scenario with Albus, though Harry's assured him that he could read surface emotions and that often helped in these situations and that reassured Severus a bit. Harry had told him this before, but he was wary of the ability. Albus did know some Occlumency and that could mask emotions.

None the less, Harry was now sitting next to Albus - giving him a neutral look and suppressing the mischievous impulse to ask where Dudley and Draco's presents were. Albus held the glittering present in his hands and donned his best kindly grandfather persona and spoke in grave tones with a bit of sorrow in them.

"Before he was killed your father, James, entrusted me with this cloak … a very fine invisibility cloak." Albus smiled and pushed the merrily sparkling package toward Harry. "I know he would have wanted you to have this … and he would have wanted you to use it well, Harry."

Harry dropped his eyes to the gift, glad to have an excuse to not meet the Headmaster's eyes. True, he was thrilled to receive the gift, however he somewhat resented having to behave like the Headmaster was doing anything more than returning his rightful property. Albus giving back something that was not his to keep did not require more than a polite 'thank you' from Harry as far as Harry was concerned.

Still, he needed to play along. It wasn't difficult to act delighted at receiving the cloak; in truth he was ecstatic to have another possession of his father's. Aunt Petunia had given him some trinkets that Lily had left with their parents when she had married – childhood treasures and a few things from her teen years. They had been carefully put in a box and stored while they were living in the hotel. There had been nothing of James' except for a few photos spelled to remain still that Lily had sent to Petunia while they had written each other. Getting the map off the twins and now this cloak … they might be the only personal effects of James' he might ever get.

"Thank you so much, Headmaster …" Harry managed to choke out, hoping the man thought he was choked with tears and not anger. Harry could feel smug satisfaction ooze out to join the sense of eagerness that Harry had felt when the Headmaster had first arrived. "I'm sure it will come in handy …" Harry allowed a smug smile to creep out for extra effect – he knew Albus must be wanting Harry to step up his pranks and hopefully start looking for the Sorcerer's Stone. The surge in the eagerness following Harry's words told him he was right.

Albus felt quite cheered and launched into a few tales of James' exploits with the Marauders that Albus was aware of … throwing in a few of the pranks that had been pulled on Severus, telling the stories with a twinkling eye and in a chummy 'just between us Gryffindors' sort of tone.

Harry fought to keep the smile on his face. Sure, Petunia had known that James and his friends had been bitter rivals … she had not tried to hide that, knowing that Harry and Severus would need to get along and had wanted Harry to understand why a bit of patience with Severus would be needed. The tales Albus was telling were of much more mean-spirited pranks that Petunia had known of. Harry could only guess that Lily had not known of them and therefore had not passed them on to Petunia.

Harry's heart plummeted while Albus blathered on until Harry shakily said he wanted to show the cloak to Dudley and Draco. Albus clenched his teeth and it was his turn to fight to keep a smile on his face at the thought of Harry sharing the cloak. Albus nodded shortly and then threw in another shocker.

"A friend of your fathers – the Remus Lupin I mentioned in my stories – has expressed a wish to see you. I hope you will ask your Uncle to set up a time to meet with him?" Albus twinkled happily as Harry nodded uncertainly – he didn't have a ready answer for this.

Back in Lucius' study the mention of Remus caused immediate chaos. Luckily Cornelius had already taken his leave to visit other 'important families', so he did not witness Severus' wild lunge toward the door to stop Harry from agreeing to meet Remus Lupin.

Lucius and Vernon each grabbed an arm to stop him, causing Severus to spit out a few choice expletives that made Draco and Dudley's eyes widen. Narcissa tried to cover the boys' ears but simply didn't have enough hands. She settled for hissing "Calm yourself at once, Severus!"

As always, Severus took a reproach from Narcissa more seriously than from Lucius and realized he couldn't charge in to yell at the Headmaster – it would give everything away immediately.

"My apologies, Narcissa." Severus nodded to her and she nodded back. "We must divert Albus from bringing in Lupin, though ..."

"What's the big deal, Severus?" Vernon asked, confused. He realized that none of the Marauders would be Severus' favorite people, but this was an extreme reaction.

"You don't understand." Severus answered a bit desperately as the two men eased off their hold on his arms. He fought with the long habit of keeping Lupin's secret. During school he had been under a spell. Later, the Dark Lord already knew because Fenrir knew … but it was not spread around because Voldemort did not care about Lupin, so it hadn't been an issue while he'd been a Death Eater. Now, while under Albus' dubious 'protection' he was expected to continue to keep Lupin's secret. Still, he needed to tell them.

Harry strolled in, clutching the invisibility cloak with a happy smile. He picked up on the tension in the room and looked at Severus' tense face. He'd seen Albus to the floo and had managed a reasonably cheerful goodbye. He'd thought the meeting had gone rather well.

The sight of Harry decided Severus, though. "I need promises of secrecy from all of you … if the information gets circulated – Dumbledore will know it was from me. He won't hesitate to get me thrown in Azkaban if he believes I've betrayed him. His influence may be diminished, but it isn't gone." The room's occupants nodded in trepidation, unsure of where this was leading.

Lucius sensed a long story in the works and waved everyone to sit and called for tea. Harry sat next to Severus, still holding the cape reverently and watched Severus with concern.

Severus stirred his tea with ferocity, frowning unhappily. "Lupin is a werewolf." It was blunt, but he knew he wouldn't be interrupted after that. He told them of his curiosity regarding Lupin's monthly absences at school. Sometime he had 'a sickly relative', when the full moon would occur over a weekend. There were excuses that Remus was a 'sickly child' or 'delicate'. Severus had briefly thought of him being a werewolf, but had dismissed the thought since there were a great many rules against it.

Then he related Sirius Black's taunting and dropping the hint about the Whomping Willow and the tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack. Narcissa gasped and Lucius eye gave a few agitated twitches. Severus described the horror of being faced with a transformed werewolf. After that - being rescued by James Potter.

Severus grimaced, but turned to Harry. "I can't say I was pleased to be rescued by my rival … but I was quite happy to be alive – and not a werewolf's meal. Certainly I did not want to become a werewolf, myself."

"So my father saved your life?" At Severus' nod he grinned. "I'm very glad he did." Harry's rather simplistic view of the event made Severus smile a bit. The others were less sanguine.

"Dumbledore had a werewolf at the school." Lucius ground out in disbelief. "How could he be so careless … and if he did it why didn't he secure Lupin better at the full moon?"

Severus shrugged, "He never said, and he never brought in another that I am aware of … but he is quite fond of his little 'social experiments'. Nevertheless he placed a spell that did not allow me to speak of Lupin that ended once I left school. I know we need to keep Dumbledore believing he has a chance to win Harry over – but I'm quite uneasy about him seeing Lupin."

Draco looked frightened at the thought of a werewolf; Dudley looked like he'd been given another Christmas present – in spite of Severus' horrifying tale. Harry was ambivalent; he would like to meet a friend of his father, even a werewolf. However the tales the Headmaster had regaled him with made it less of a joyous thought. He mostly wanted to ask this Mr. Lupin what they had been thinking with all those dirty tricks and whether his father had ever grown up.

Vernon frowned, he was wary of Dumbledore but he had not grown up in the wizarding world and did not have the awe and fearful respect for Dumbledore that the wizards and witches had.

"I understand you don't want to tip our hand at present – but don't you think we could hold him off until summer – promise him a lot of visits at that time, but that we don't want to distract Harry from his studies at present?" Vernon offered. "Severus hopes to have all this swept up by then – and if he has not, then the werewolf will be the least of our worries."

"A wise suggestion …" Narcissa broke in, giving Vernon a smile. "Or at the least make it spring break if he is persistent – we will have time to make a plan by then."

Severus finally settled enough to nod reluctantly, unwilling to have Lupin near Harry at all – he would have been alarmed even if he had never developed an affection for Harry.

Harry smiled happily, "Are you going to be at the races tomorrow?" With the question of Lupin decided, Harry lost interest in the subject, to Severus' relief.

"Of course … I would never dare to miss both Rusty as well as his snotty grey friend running in races." Severus managed a smile.

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Rusty snorted softly, scenting the cold breeze drifting along the stable aisle. The heavy winter blankets he and the other racers wore kept them warm enough, however Rusty was restless. A race was coming up – he always knew when he was to face his rival thoroughbreds. The boy that talked to them at their home stable had confirmed it before he and the grey had left.

The boy had told him about the races and had wished him luck. Rusty didn't understand the concept of luck – but he did understand defeating the competition at any cost. Rusty wasn't the most highly bred of Lucius' racers - and he didn't have the heavy musculature of racers like the grey who had muscles everywhere – even their eyebrows. What he _did_ have was a burning drive to win and Lucius had recognized that in the yearling he'd seen at the bloodstock sale, even though he had been banished to the back lot with the other bargain-basement horses.

Lucius had given him his chance and Rusty had done well, though he'd had a bad time just before Harry had found him. Since then he'd come back better than ever. Still, he knew he was delicately built - his build was made for distance, like the Arabian stock that was the foundation of the thoroughbred breed.

However he had some weak points – but he tended to ignore them and bulldoze ahead … like at that particular moment when a siren and lights went off nearby as a drunk got pulled over. Rusty reared and pawed at the walls of the stall, objecting to the sudden noise that had blasted his ears. A sharp pain lanced up a foreleg, making him squeal as he went back down to all fours. He tossed his head and rolled his eyes, startled. The grey snorted and pinned his ears back, disturbed by the sound of pain from his stablemate – it possibly meant danger and it had him on alert as well. Danger to one of the herd meant danger to all.

Rusty pawed at the floor with the leg that was still aching and it slowly eased to nearly nothing. He was sure he could still run the next day, and that was all that mattered to him. The grey huffed and went back to his hay net, no longer interested.

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Severus went back to Hogwarts to pack for his vacation. Albus had cheerfully given him leave to take the whole Winter break off if it made him able to spend a great deal of time with Harry, persuading him that Albus was an all-knowing and great wizard and was to treated with awe and respect. Severus had promised faithfully to talk to Harry about 'doing the right thing', though he hadn't said exactly what that was.

Severus congratulated Albus on a job well done – that 'Harry had been deeply touched by the gift and was speaking quite well of Albus now'. Albus had looked gratified as he and Minerva went toward the Headmasters tower. Severus had been about to leave, but – the meeting might be important.

Severus flew as the Raven to the usual window and took his spot while the pair below poured tea. Albus blathered on a bit about how Albus had as good as gotten Harry Potter under his thumb 'just a matter of time'. Minerva smiled tightly and expressed unhappiness with Hermione's attitude and Ron's sudden questioning of Albus' methods. Albus grimaced.

"Maybe Ronald should have gone into Hufflepuff – it was the Hat's other option, and Miss Granger … well Ravenclaw was likely a better fit …" Albus looked aggrieved that the two were less useful than he had expected. "Still, perhaps they can be salvaged if Harry says that he trusts me, now – their faith will be restored."

"I don't like it that Potter still listens to Snape so closely – I can talk until blue in the face, and he'll just give me a smile and do as he pleases – or as Snape pleases." Minerva grouched.

"Well once all is said and done, when he is no longer needed, Severus will not be around. Without my say-so, he'll not stay out of Azkaban for long." Albus said it a bit casually, making Severus' blood run cold – the twinkling old rat had been planning to be rid of him for quite some time, had probably had it in mind even as he first took Severus in. "When Harry dies – as he must – Severus will be found to be culpable in his death, most likely."

Minerva chuckled meanly. "It's not like he's beloved by any of the students, except a few Slytherins – if Harry can be made to distrust him, he could be gone even sooner."

Severus was a bit disappointed – he'd thought Minerva and he had a chilly but normal Gryffindor – Slytherin rivalry. Finding she was eager for his blood a was an eye-opener.

"Still, I begin to wonder if I might need another way to bring the Potter boy to heel. If Potter still hasn't started to listen to reason by second year I'm bringing out his godfather." Albus said this as if it wasn't a bombshell. Severus nearly fell off the mantle and had to muffle a slight squawk.

Minerva's jaw dropped and her eyes bugged in an unflattering way. "G-g-godfather? You mean Sirius Black …? But what possible use could that traitor be …?"

Albus assumed a slightly preoccupied air while his eyes glittered with glee. "It could be that he isn't as guilty as everyone thinks." Minerva gasped and Severus was stunned. "It might be found that he was set up by the real traitor … Peter Pettigrew." Minerva was speechless and Severus thought he might be ill.

"But why let Sirius Black languish in Azkaban? – if you have found this out we should retrieve him right away." Minerva said faintly.

"Oh, I always knew they had switched secret keepers … but Sirius would have been a rotten guardian – he'd have given Potter airs and made him as self-important and unruly as the rest of the marauders. Sirius would never have let Potter be put into any danger. Hopefully Azkaban will have subdued him by now and he'll do as he's told." Albus ignored Minerva's look of horror and popped another lemon sherbet into his mouth.

"But he wasn't guilty …" Minerva finally managed in a faint voice.

Albus looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "Not guilty of betraying the Potters … but he was guilty of attempted murder when he sent Snape to Remus – we both knew that and covered it up – to save Remus from execution and Hogwarts from a prolonged investigation by the ministry. A decade in Azkaban would actually have been considered an acceptable sentence for that."

Minerva flushed and tightened her lips. She hated being reminded that Black had gone beyond any acceptable code of conduct with that act.

"We'll spring him during the summer and have him ready to act if need be. We can insist Harry visit he and Remus and then go for custody of Harry Potter if we need to." Albus smiled happily – he now had a plan that might work – especially if Potter managed to get injured with that cloak.

Severus flew back down and headed for the gates to apparate away, luggage shrunk and in his pockets. He had a great deal to think about now.

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Christmas presents were opened by the Malfoys and the Dursleys and then the happily celebrating revelers moved to Seamus Finnegan's father's pub for lunch. Vernon went along to the track to tidy up paperwork and make sure the horses were ready to run.

The three boys had a wonderful time playing darts with Dean and Seamus. Dudley was quite good at it and Draco was eager to learn. Harry was scorekeeper and they soon had a group of inebriated customers cheering for the two teams and making the inevitable bets on the outcome. Severus kept an eye on them while Lucius kept an eye on his wife. Far too many louts were eyeing her and her assets.

One cheeky fellow had slurred a compliment and asked her to dance. Unfortunately the drunk had immediately broken out in a bad case of hives and needed medical attention. Severus had snickered at Lucius, but Narcissa now had a firm grip on his wand hand so he would find it difficult to hex anyone again.

It had been an enlightening experience. Narcissa had met Mrs. Finnegan and they had gotten on well. Seamus' father was an impressive figure and Severus had whispered that he'd been a boxing champion – and then had to explain boxing.

Narcissa had been relieved to meet Dean's family – they looked as out of place and uncomfortable as the Malfoys. Mr Thomas was obviously a well to do businessman and Mrs. Thomas was smartly dressed. They'd been invited to sit at their table and they exchanged information in low tones, though as loud as things were no one was likely to overhear any mention of magic.

The Thomas' flooed back after lunch – using the Finnegan's fireplace once again, as they had more family functions to attend.

Harry's party got into several taxis and made their way to the Leopardstown Racecourse. The Christmas festival with its racing was well attended. Lucius smiled to see the number of wizards and witches that were there. They made it to the Malfoy box that was very close to the rail as well as the finish line with no difficulty.

Lucius watched his grey racer strut imperiously out onto the track. He knew that the boys referred to the grey as "The Snot", and he felt that even that name was marginally better than the unlikely name he'd been registered as - no horse should have to endure a name like "Sissy's Silver Sweetie". For the hundreth time he wished he'd renamed the grey after buying him. The grey towered over his competition, muscles rippling even under the slightly shaggy winter coat - he was no one's "sweetie", that was certain.

The racers were off and the grey loped along mid-pack until they reached the far turn. The grey pulled around the others and made for the front. A valiant chestnut also surged forward, unwilling to let the grey steal the race. There was a brief battle of speed and then the grey got a head and neck ahead and won the race.

The boys cheered and Lucius went to accept the winner's cup and have a photo taken. A few more races and it was the bay's turn to parade out onto the track. Rusty usually pranced to the starting line, but he was saving his leg for the race. The trainer frowned, he disliked any change in the horses – it never boded well.

Rusty broke well, staying just behind the leaders. He never liked being very far back at any time in a race. This was a long race, though – a mile and a half, so he would have plenty of time to make his move. A couple of horses fell back as they entered the backstretch and a couple more moved ahead. Rusty kept his own pace, though, waiting for his moment. His foreleg twinged a bit as they went around the far turn, not liking the strain but he ignored it – winning the race was everything.

Entering the homestretch he lengthened his stride and ran faster, not waiting for the jockey to even ask. He swept by the leaders and two others also made their move, challenging him hard – but Rusty's ancestors had not known the meaning of surrender and neither did he. His leg burned from the hairline crack in one of the bones but that was not important – getting ahead of the other horses was.

With a last burst of speed he got ahead at the finish line, but his hoof came down on an uneven bit of frozen earth – not usually a problem, but it bent the leg just enough to cause the fracture to give … and break.

Rusty went down hard – almost flipping in the air, throwing the jockey to the track forcefully. The snap of his foreleg was like a gunshot. Screams were heard from the crowd and they held their breaths as the field of horses galloped around the downed horse and rider.

Harry was over the rails and onto the track before Lucius or Vernon could think to stop him. Severus was right behind him, though, hoping to prevent disaster. Rusty was struggling, trying ineffectively to rise – in a horse's mind a horse unable to get up was a dead horse, and it was a sure way to make an equine panic.

Harry flung himself across Rusty's neck, pleading with him to stop struggling. Rusty heard him and his panic subsided. The boy said he could fix it – that nothing bad would happen with him there. Rusty relaxed back, letting Harry soothe him.

Severus bent over the horse, laying his hand – wand hidden from sight under it – on the horse's shoulder, wand pointing down the leg and muttered the incantation to mend the bones quickly before the muggles could reach them. He knew that spell well enough. There was obviously injury to tendons and ligament – but with the bone fixed the muggles wouldn't be doing any mercy killing – someone else could fix the rest out of sight … he hoped. Equine medicine was really beyond his knowledge.

The track vet and an Equine ambulance arrived. Severus and Lucius – who had also gotten there – hauled Harry off Rusty and the horse was gotten to his feet. The audience breathed a sigh of relief – if the racer was on his feet, they seemed to feel, he would be alright. The track officials were equally relieved - putting a horse down in front of a crowd was a sure way to lose customers. Rusty gingerly put the foreleg down and winced – there was still pain, but he managed to board the trailer.

The group followed the trailer to the vet, Harry anxiously asking Lucius, "You won't let them kill Rusty?"

Lucius shook his head – Rusty was a very strong draw for Harry to stay at Malfoy Manor and Lucius had no intention of letting anything that kept Harry happy there to up and die on him. Rusty would become the longest living horse in history if Lucius had anything to say about it.

"If Rusty can be saved, I assure you it will be done." Lucius said with grim intent – that vet had better have good news, or face severe consequences.

The vet was standing by a well – sedated Rusty when they arrived, and he was looking at X-rays in a puzzled manner. One of the track personnel was protesting whatever the vet had just said.

"I was sure that 'e had busted it up good! I can't believe 'is legs not broke." The man was gazing at the horse in awe.

The oblivious Rusty just swayed a bit, drunkenly wondering where the grey was – and where was the hay net? The vet and Lucius consulted a bit and agreed that as there was no broken bone, Lucius' vet could take care of it. Severus wondered if he'd had to use a spell, or if the track vet had really agreed.

None the less, Rusty went onto Lucius trailer and back to their own row of stalls. They left Rusty on the trailer and Severus suggested he and Harry take Rusty back to Malfoy Manor for care, and everyone else stay for the rest of the festival as planned.

"I have a few ideas in mind … and by the time the rest you get back I'll have a very interesting plot for us to put into effect." At Lucius' raised eyebrow, Severus continued. "There is some information I received yesterday that will shock everyone - your eyebrows might never leave your hairline."

Lucius nodded and left the trailer to join Narcissa and the others. There was an enormous crack as the trio left - leaving the horse trailer empty, and Lucius grimaced. But at least as long as he didn't have to _**see **_Severus apparate not only Harry and himself, but an entire horse back to Malfoy Manor he could pretend it hadn't happened.

Bloody Snape and all his raw power … and Harry was going to be even worse. Lucius smiled … not that Harry's power was a bad thing, of course.

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A/N – Apologies for the wait – if people would stop having parties I would post more often.


	11. Chapter 11

PB11

Disclaimer – I own nothing – just check my back account if you don't believe me.

Chapter 11

Minerva McGonagall wandered back to her quarters, head in a whirl. Sirius Black … who had been the apple of her eye, along with James Potter for so long … was innocent after all. And Albus had known this all along.

Oh, she understood why he had done it – keeping Harry Potter with the Dursleys had been of paramount importance, and Sirius would have spoilt and indulged Potter. He'd not have allowed a broken toe, let alone let Harry Potter die so the Dark Lord would die as well.

Minerva's breath caught. She'd been so angry when Sirius had betrayed the Potters … and now it turned out that it was Peter. That was only marginally better, as Peter was also a Gryffindor. Why hadn't it been a Slytherin. Of course the Potter's didn't have any Slytherin friends after Lily had finally been rid of Snape – so there were none available to be accused of betrayal.

Minerva hated Slytherins … her animosity had started back in her own school days, after having to deal with Tom Riddle and his bunch. Those pretentious gits had made her and her friends' lives miserable. They were subtle, of course, rarely doing anything they could be called on.

At first they had been nice to her as they thought her as someone that was there idea of a pureblood. In most circles her blood status _was _considered 'pure' – or at least 'pure enough. The small hamlet in Scotland that she and her family lived in had several magical families. They made some of the best firewhiskey in the magical world. Minerva's family grew the hops – using the magical enhancements needed. Another family had the brewery. There was the family that made the unbreakable bottles with enchantments to enhance taste. Several families worked at the brewery or ran the bakery and pub.

Life was good in their little town, and they attracted enough magical visitors to ensure they met those from elsewhere and married from outside the village to avoid inbreeding. Muggleborns and halfbloods were welcome … few bothered with worrying about that. There was even a muggle or two in one faintly scandalous family.

Minerva's beloved grandmother was muggleborn – and Minerva hadn't hesitated to let others know it. Tom and his friends had sneered at that, shunning her and making rude remarks about animals in her ancestry – out of earshot of others, of course.

Then a friend – Myrtle – was killed and she had been told by Albus that it had been Tom who had done it even though Hagrid had been blamed. Oh, how she hated Tom and his Slytherins! Her hate had spread to all who wore silver and green … such as Snape – a wretched boy, dark from the first. Thank Merlin Lily had been rescued from him. Perhaps he'd become useful to Albus, for a time, but she'd been promised it would be of short duration.

Minerva had developed a crush on Albus over over a period of time – starting during her Hogwarts years - if only she had realized that her hopes would always be in vain she might have found love elsewhere. However, she had gotten her Mastery in Transfiguration and had accepted the job as Professor – taking Albus' place as Transfiguration Professor and soon becoming Deputy Headmistress.

She had pursued a stellar career in Transfiguration … following her mentor's field, hoping to gain his approval and admiration, and perhaps win his love in that way. It was hard to tell if she had, though he heaped praise on her at times – but he only did that when he had something difficult to ask of her.

Overseeing her Lions as Head of House had been difficult at times, and Albus had needed to do some persuading to add that to her already lengthy list of duties. But, he pointed out, it wasn't like she had a family to worry about … the Lions could become her 'children'. Albus had thought that was a good argument, not realizing he'd driven a knife home by saying that. It had been the day she'd buried any hope of his noticing she loved him.

Still, she'd remained at his side, ensuring the Gryffindor House remained 'the elite'. She'd helped him wear down the Sorting Hat – getting the most promising students into their House and herding many of the others where they wished.

Horace, Filius and Pomona had expressed dismay over the state of things one time while sipping tea in the teacher's lounge. They had not been aware she had overheard them. They were discussing how the four houses had always gained and lost 'power' at Hogwarts rather predictably – at least they had in the past. Every ten or fifteen years a house would gain in status and then slowly decline and relinquish it to another. During Headmaster Black's reign Slytherin had gained status at first, then Ravenclaw, then Hufflepuff and then Slytherin again.

During the next Headmaster's tenure the Gryffindors got their chance again, then the Hufflepuffs. Then Headmaster Dippet arrived and the Ravenclaws were on top, then the Slytherins again, then the Hufflepuffs.

Once Dumbledore arrived to his post the Gryffindors were on top – sometimes a House would threaten their spot, but fail. The other Houses were never able to oust them … oh, someone else might get the houses cup once in a while – lately the Slytherins were taking the cup and doing well in Quidditch but there was no chance they would be seen as 'the top House' while the Headmaster and Deputy flagrantly favored the Lions.

Minerva had been alarmed at their obvious bitterness, but Albus had barely let her finish her story before waving it off. He seemed to feel they had no recourse. Minerva was less sanguine … what if they _**ever**_ learned that they were essentially stealing whatever student they wished for Gryffindor and mixing up the others however they liked?

At first it had not bothered her, but slowly over the last few years she began to wonder … was Gryffindor winning – or were other Houses, masked as Lions winning? Was it really a win for her, then? Or was she only doing what she always sneered at Slytherins for saying … 'a win was a win, no matter how it was accomplished?'

She had overheard a few other things over the past decade that she** hadn't** related to Albus. The other Heads of House had said that Gryffindors were becoming resented … that the members of the other Houses recognized the injustice of Albus and his Deputy constantly favoring Gryffindor. When the students graduated and went out to work they tended to avoid giving Gryffindors any 'favors' … feeling as they did that Lions had already been given enough at school.

Oh, Gryffindors did get jobs – just not the best unless another Gryffindor was in charge – and that was happening less and less. Hufflepuffs had always run the Ministry with Ravenclaws and Slytherins helping with any information and cunning that was needed. Gryffindors might get into the Auror corp. – but they were not a majority there, either.

That bothered Minerva greatly … she'd thought they were ensuring that Gryffindors ran things … instead they were rather despised by three – quarters of the wizarding world. She shook her head – she'd thought they would be looked up to, that others would simply see that they were favoring the 'very best students'.

Now, she was faced with how to assist Sirius – if she could. Albus was just too busy to see to it himself until school was done, that was all. It would take a delicate touch to ensure Sirius was free and not implicate the former Head of the Wizengamot in wrongdoing … if she could. She could at least look into it … and present Albus with a plan.

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Rita Skeeter had attended the Leopardstown Races with her photographer in tow, along with a few friends – mostly underlings in the Daily Prophet offices who were currying favor – but a few were actual friends.

Among the underlings was muggleborn who had directed the others on how to dress and whispered directions to them if anything was confusing – like the lit up board showing odds and the race results - and how, exactly, to place a bet.

Rita scribbled furiously, intending a spectacular article on the race world. They got a good shot of the Malfoy grey winning and Lucius accepting the cup. She noted down Harry Potter's excitement as the well – known (at least in the wizarding world) Rusty strode onto the track. The race commenced and their entire crowd cheered as the bay crossed the finish line first. The photographer snapped a picture as the racer crossed the finish line … and fell.

Rita cried out in horror, along with everyone else as the pack of horses went by – terrified that Rusty and the jockey would be trampled. Rita watched breathlessly as Harry and that Snape fellow ran to the horse. Her eyes were quick – and she knew what to look for, so she saw the wand peeking out to cast a spell … she was quite sure that the leg had been broken … and then suddenly wasn't. Clever, clever man, she thought, scribbling it all down quickly.

The horse was taken away and Rita stalked after them, from a distance and waited for Harry to re-appear. Only Lucius came back out from the trailer, though, and Rita hurried up.

"Mr. Malfoy! Will Harry Potter's racehorse friend recover … or will he need to be put down?" Rita hoped the answer would not be bad … although that would likely sell more papers.

Lucius glanced at her and hesitated. Narcissa said that Skeeter was, perhaps, annoying – but she seemed sympathetic, and if kept friendly she would be useful.

"Rusty is expected to recover, though I don't expect him to race again. Harry is concerned for him, of course and he and Professor Snape have gone with him back to Malfoy Manor." At Rita's lifted eyebrow Lucius smiled tightly. "Harry would not enjoy the remainder of the races while worrying about Rusty … and Professor Snape is one of his teachers and can look after him until we return home."

Rita grinned happily – it was always nice to interview a Slytherin. They always gave clear, concise answers with almost everything needed for the reporters. They usually knew what information the reporter was looking for and included it … or at let them know up front they would not be giving it.

Lucius looked at her carefully. "Would you like to verify Rusty's continued existence yourself tomorrow? I'm sure Harry … and Rusty … would be charmed to renew their acquaintance with you for an afternoon tea?"

Rita's eyes gleamed as she glanced at the casual look on Lucius' face. Oh, she knew they were getting something out of this … though she couldn't imagine why her interview could be important to them. Sure, the two exonerated ex-Death Eaters could likely always use good publicity, but the look in Lucius' eyes said he was keen to get her to the Manor in the morning and she was quite willing to go along with it.

Rita nodded with a smile and Lucius nodded back. "I'll have a portkey sent to you."

Rita scurried back to her friends with a gleam in her eyes.

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Rusty snorted with his eyes rolling, pulling back on his halter. Apparition even when very drugged was risky with a horse. Luckily he was too sedated to do more than toss his head in objection. A couple of house elves that worked in the stable scurried out, squeaking and clucking and Rusty was soon in his stall.

The vet from the Magical Menagerie Trauma section arrived and began his examine while Harry told him the particulars of the injury.

"A good job on the bone repair, Professor." The vet remarked. "There is damage to some of the ligaments and tendons – I'll apply a poultice that will relieve the inflammation, but it will need to heal on its own. Unlike Granians and the other winged horses, regular horses have no magic – so most potions don't work on them. Once he's healed we'll know if he's still rideable. He may not be able to bear weight on that leg again if it doesn't heal correctly."

"As long as he's okay …" Harry breathed, giving the horse some peppermints from his pocket. Rusty munched them absently, not really sure what was happening as yet.

Severus was sitting, watching the scene and sipping on a pepper – up. Apparating the two of them plus one Equine had depleted his magic a great deal. It had been a bit foolish of him, of course, but he couldn't resist sparking that scowl and eye twitch from Lucius that always occurred when Severus reminded him of their comparative power levels.

Years ago Severus would do it to remind Lucius that he was a valuable ally. These days he only did it now and then to annoy Lucius for his own amusement.

Lucius coveted the raw power, not realizing it was worthless most of the time without control. Severus' control of his power was precarious. Spells like apparition where you just needed to blast the power and offensive or defensive spells where fine control was unneeded he was excellent with and the raw power was very useful. Charms and transfiguration … well, that was a different story – those he struggled with because the extra power just got in the way and made the spells go awry.

He'd learned Legilimancy and Occlumency in an effort to get control of his power. Unfortunately the damage had been done long before he entered Hogwarts. His father's beatings and verbal abuse had made his temper explode – not to mention his accidental magic. Once he'd turned eight his magic had started manifesting frequently and the explosions between his father and him had been at least weekly, with his magic leaving his control many times. This had made efforts to gain control later nearly impossible.

In third year he'd gotten desperate enough to speak to Professor Flitwick and Filius had explained that the frequent violent explosions of magic while underage had damaged parts of his core that assisted with control. Filius had given him books to assist him – the mind magics were considered one of the best ways and they had worked for him in some areas of magic.

Potions had been one of his favorite subjects – the lower years did not require any 'wand-waving' and he'd fought hard to learn control by the time he reached fifth year and started needing spells for them. In the end it was the subjects he liked best that he learned the control for – Potions, Defense – and of course offensive magic, Runes and Arithmancy he'd learned though they were not his top subjects. Charms and Transfiguration he continued to struggle with and he would never be an expert. The Patronus charm and the Animagus ability were really the only high level charms he'd learned well. Transfiguration was mostly a bust – he'd been lucky to get an E on the Owls.

He'd learned his limits, and did not wish for more – he could beat most in a duel and had his Mastery in Potions at a ridiculously young age … and he could make Lucius' eye twitch, so he was quite content, really.

He watched Harry with a smile – another with raw power to envy, and he should have no trouble with control – ensuring that Harry had learned control through practicing wandless magic. He was sure that Harry would use the power well. An owl flew in just as the vet left, though the vet promised to return the next day.

Severus chuckled at the message. "It seems that Ms. Skeeter will be visiting tomorrow to interview you and get more pictures of you and Rusty."

Harry beamed, "Good, he deserves more attention."

They left the still sleepy Rusty to the attentions of the elves and went to get supper. They had a wonderful evening talking of their plans and Severus pulled out a few yearbooks from his time in Hogwarts. He'd realized that Harry needed more information on his father. Petunia really hadn't known him and Severus … well he'd decided the yearbooks would help.

They'd poured over the pictures and they had prompted Severus to be able to tell stories of James and his friends that didn't involve pranks. Quidditch games, the clubs, Hogsmeade weekends, etc. He'd given the yearbooks to Harry as 'a last Christmas gift', and shooed him up to bed.

Later, Severus flooed to Hogwarts briefly to tell Albus that he 'was kissing Harry Potter's rich butt' just the way Albus wished. Albus had beamed, happy that Severus still hated Harry, but was doing his job well. Severus grabbed a few pertinent books from the back of the library in a room only teachers could enter. Beginning Occlumency exercises would help Harry learn more control – even without traumas Harry had enough power to need some extra controls.

He did his best to go by McGonagall's door without making any sound, but the silence wasn't needed – she was talking to someone whose head was sitting in the fire of the floo.

"I told you I can't say who I'm speaking of … but I do need to know how to get someone re-tried, or rather tried for his crime in the first place. He needs the evidence looked into again … and I'm going to look for the perpetrator …" Minerva sounded faintly desperate and Severus was shocked … Minerva was going behind Albus' back to see about freeing Black.

"I doubt you'll get anywhere very fast, Minerva." The voice answered wearily. "If Albus thinks he can get whoever this is retried in the summer, you may as well wait – all the hoops you'll have to jump through will likely take that long anyway if he's already in Azkaban.

Severus walked on, thinking. Having Minerva running around looking into things a bit might be … useful.

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Severus and Harry read the morning Daily Prophet with awe … they had actually placed Rusty's accident on the front page along with a screaming headline of "Tragedy at the Track!" There was a heart – stopping picture showing Rusty striding across the finish line in front and the subsequent fall. Rita had managed to be accurate, but still very dramatic, describing the fall and injuries in graphic detail and how Harry had looked heartbroken and traumatized and then how deeply affected he was likely to be by the death of his late Aunt's favorite horse.

Her interview with Lucius followed and Rita promised her readers she would faithfully report her findings at Malfoy Manor the following day.

Rita arrived for tea as scheduled and did some of the interview while they nibbled on scones and sipped Narcissa's expensive tea. Severus, being in an excellent mood, managed to be charming … well, his own brand of sarcastically venomous charming … luckily Rita quite enjoyed that sort of biting wit and mentally noted down some of his more amusing barbs and insults to use in future articles on some of her subjects – or victims, depending on how you viewed them.

Severus led them to the stables where the vet was looking Rusty over. He was quite happy to provide information on the injury and assured her Rusty would recover, though it was now apparent he would not race.

"No, but I hope he can be my new riding horse." Harry smiled, feeding Rusty another peppermint. "Mr. Malfoy sent me his papers last night … said he knew I was attached to him and gave him to me as a present." Harry beamed at the charmed Rita, who immediately got a picture of Rusty and his proud new owner. People loved this sort of 'heart-warming' story around Christmas.

Rita and Severus wandered back to the Manor and she shooed the photographer to the floo. She eyed Snape with a bit of a crafty smile. He had an 'in' with some of the most interesting people, currently.

"We should do lunch in the future – before you have to scurry back to Hogwarts, perhaps …?" Rita purred.

"Do call me Severus, Ms. Skeeter." Severus smiled, she was going to be useful … and interesting, he felt.

"… Severus … and please call me Rita." She beamed at him. "Drop me an owl?" Severus nodded to her and she left, sure that she'd scored several wins today.

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Severus and Harry managed to fit in a few strategy sessions before the Malfoys and Dursleys returned. Severus gathered them all into the big parlor and seated around a large coffee table piled with books, files and what looked like the remains of several plates of blueberry scones.

"Before I left Hogwarts to attend the Races, I managed to 'attend' one last meeting between Minerva and Albus …" Severus faithfully recounted all he had heard. Harry was already aware, but he took no pleasure in hearing it again.

Lucius had thought he'd been as shocked as it was possible to be, but this was over the top even for the old Gryffindor vulture. He wondered how Albus managed to keep the phoenix at his side. Did the creature simply not understand what was happening, or perhaps Albus' belief he was in the right of things keep the phoenix believing Albus was truly still 'light'.

"I understood from Petunia that the wizard prison is a terrible place … how could they bring themselves to toss him in there if he was an ally?" Vernon asked in horror.

"Ambition is a vicious mistress." Lucius muttered in answer to the question. He was moderately familiar with her, himself.

Vernon hesitated, and then nodded … after all ambition was rampant in the muggle world as well – he had watched as corporate bigwigs stabbed each other in the back and climb over each other trying to get to the top.

"We have to free him." Narcissa said firmly. She had little love for her smug cousin who'd always insisted he was so morally superior to any Slytherin. He'd delighted in telling her that she and Lucius would be in Azkaban before the war was out. It had surprised her greatly to hear that he had betrayed his friends … it had made no sense, but she thought that he'd simply gone mad … just as his mother had. "If nothing else we should keep him out of Albus' hands."

Severus nodded and Harry smirked rather evilly and added his own information. "Severus told me something else – Professor McGonagall has been sniffing around, asking how to get a case reviewed and all. She doesn't seem to actually be doing anything constructive, though. I had him have a few of Lucius' 'ministry friends' to keep an ear out …" Harry grinned at the amused looking Lucius. "… her questions _**are **_causing a bit of a ruckus because she's asking how to reopen a case when a trial never actually took place. This has them horrified because as far as they know, no one has ever been sent to Azkaban without a trial."

Severus and Lucius shared a smirk. They loved it when Harry showed some cunning. Harry had said that the hat had indicated he could have gone to any house, but they liked to believe that Harry would have been in Slytherin if the hat hadn't been tampered with.

Severus nodded in agreement. "I checked some records and it just says there was a 'closed trial and sentencing'. I expect that the presiding judge – Barty Crouch – just said, 'you're guilty – life in Azkaban'. Albus was probably behind it all … or at least he is obviously aware of it all."

"I'm surprised that veritaserum wasn't used …" Draco said in troubled tones.

"Oh, if it had been done in public and before the Wizengamot there would have been … they all would have wanted to hear an entire confession … get every last detail from him using the truth serum. But only Barty was there, and he already had decided Black's fate, so there was no need." Lucius grimaced.

"Well, I wager that Severus and Harry have a plan to extricate my _**beloved **_cousin?" Narcissa sighed in resignation.

There were disturbingly similar smirks on Severus and Harry's faces as they sat there, stirring their tea, looking like smug cats. Narcissa lost any trace of a smile as she listened to their 'little plot'.

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The very next day found Narcissa miserably wondering how she'd been talked into this as she was rowed toward Azkaban. She had a wizardspaced invisible pocket in the side of her cloak. Severus in his raven form was there, along with Harry's invisibility cloak.

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A/N – Well, haven't decided how hostile to make Sirius. So I'm posting this while figuring it out.


	12. Chapter 12

PB12

Disclaimer – just having fun with JKR's characters.

Chapter 12

Narcissa sat with her back stiffly straight as the boat glided across the expanse of water. Boats carrying prisoners were manned – unless they were hoping the prisoner would throw themselves overboard. Narcissa had heard that that happened on occasion. Visitors – unless they were Ministry VIP's tended to have to go it alone.

Visitors were not common; it took a dedicated and sturdy relative or friend to even think of going to see someone in Azkaban. Narcissa smirked – of course a determined enemy was a possibility as well.

She hated Bella, more than she hated even the Dark Lord. At one time they had been close, but after Bella had received the Dark Mark she had grown farther and farther apart. The Dark Lord had become everything to Bella. Narcissa hadn't understood the obsession – the once handsome wizard was now quickly becoming terrifying in appearance and in his actions.

Lucius had managed to always avoid letting Narcissa be marked – and that had now been easy to accomplish.

When the Dark Lord had been defeated by the Potter boy Lucius had insisted he'd been imperioused and along with a staggeringly large number of galleons he'd been freed almost immediately – but not immediately enough. Bella had heard about Lucius' denial of Voldemort and had gone straight from torturing the Longbottoms to insanity to the Malfoy Manor.

Lucius was not back as yet and Narcissa was left to face her sister's wrath. She'd tried to reason with Bella – to remind her that family was most important – that protecting family was paramount. Bella had not listened – she had screamed and ranted, and then had cursed Narcissa. She'd known Narcissa and Lucius had wanted more children – that they'd been waiting for 'more peaceful times' to start in on a Weasley – sized brood.

She'd hit Narcissa with a dark curse that made conception impossible. "I'll make sure you never bear that traitor another whelp!" Bella had screamed and sent the dark curse at her sister.

Narcissa had been devastated … and the worst part was telling Lucius. He'd never blamed her – but he had ensured that Aurors had found Bella's hideout immediately after that. Still, it cut Narcissa deeply every time she would see a wistful look in Lucius' eyes when he would watch Draco. Certainly half of Lucius' hatred of Arthur was fueled by jealousy.

Now she would have to see the hateful hag again. Only the knowledge that it was to keep Bell's beloved Dark Lord defeated and gone that persuaded her to do this. Lucius and Severus knew the cost to her to face Bella, and if she had shrunk from it, she knew they would not have pressed her.

The boat docked and Narcissa managed to disembark with the help of a balance spell. An unhappy looking guard met her at the end of the rather weathered wooden dock. Did they not know any upkeep spells – or did they like the ominous look it gave?

The guard silently led her to the warden's office, who looked at her in puzzlement. She'd never visited anyone here, before, let alone her crazy sister.

Narcissa had found it difficult to come up with a good reason to be here, now, and fell back on 'needing to finalize some family business. "I need to have Bella sign off on some papers – I want to completely extricate her from all my old Black family vaults … I don't want her magic mixed into it any longer." She explained.

The warden nodded in understanding. The Malfoy family had been slowly dragging their name out of the mud and once again being looked up to and now with their 'rescue' of Harry Potter they were definitely on the upswing. Cutting off the insane Bellatrix LeStrange was a wise move.

"We'll keep the dementors at the other side of the prison until you leave … but please try to make the visit as brief as possible …" The warden said. With the Malfoys aligned with 'the Boy Who Lived' it didn't hurt to be as accommodating as he could be without breaking any rules.

Narcissa nodded and rose, "I have no wish to be near her for longer than absolutely necessary." That was certainly the absolute truth.

A guard took her down the dismal hallways – away from the lower levels and up to the areas that were usually more heavily patrolled by the dementors. The higher the level – the more dementors.

"She's right down 'ere, ma'am." The guard said. "Jus' aroun' the corner from that cousin 'a hers – Sirius Black."

Narcissa smiled and nodded, after all he'd just saved her from a lengthy search for him. The guard opened the door and cast a few spells – binding Bella with chains to a chair and reinforcing the warding – Narcissa could leave the cell whenever she wished, but Bella could not. Of course the guards would be alerted when she left – and expect her to be leaving.

Narcissa gave the guard another smile and he nodded deferentially and left her with her sister. Bella immediately started cackling and mocking Narcissa in that irritating baby – talk. But Narcissa ignored her, and stood by the doorway, waiting to be sure that the guard had left.

Once the area seemed clear, she let Severus out of the pocket, whispering to him. He shook his wings out and flew down the hallway to Sirius' cell and entered it, transforming back into a wizard.

Sirius watched the raven in confusion – and then anger when his most hated enemy appeared – Snape. Severus didn't waste time trying to reason with Sirius – they would need time, proof and privacy to convince a dyed in the wool Dumbledore – adoring Gryffindor of anything.

Before Sirius could pull together a good stream of insults Severus cast a spell to force Sirius into his animagus form. He once again mentally thanked Lily for telling him about the marauders having achieved their animagus forms. When they had renewed their friendship she'd told him about it when he'd told her about being a raven – which had helped a great deal with spying, of course.

He could have simply transfigured Sirius into an animal – but that may or may not hold when going through the wards. The last thing they needed was for Sirius to get away and going haring off to Merlin – knew – where. Severus brought out a bundle of ragged clothing and conjured a fake Sirius to wear them. It would hold for a time and hopefully when it wore off it would be enough days later that Narcissa would not be suspected.

A twist on the spell made it impossible for Sirius to transform back. A quick confundus and coercion spell and Severus whispered an order to the Grim. Severus flicked a spell to open the cell door and popped into the raven and the Grim followed obediently. The door swung shut and relocked just as the spell had asked it to.

The doors only alerted the guards when person crossed them – not when an animal did. They flew and trotted down the hall and the grim stopped in front of Bella's door. The raven flew in and landed on Bella's shoulder.

The interview between the sisters had not gone well. Narcissa had ignored Bella with a tranquil smile while Bella ranted with frustration. She looked totally baffled by the sight of a confounded dog and a raven.

Narcissa stood and finally spoke. "I wanted you to have something to think about, Bella. You must get so very bored at time. Just know that you have helped me ensure that the Dark Lord will never rise again – and you will never know exactly how …" At Bella's look of confused horror, she smiled. "… you should never have cursed me as you did, Bella …"

Bella rattled the chains and managed a very credible growl, furious at the idea that she might be helping her beloved Lord's enemies. She narrowed her eyes in rage, "I should have killed your brat before I left – you wouldn't be smiling, now, you Blood Traitor."

Narcissa held her composure with difficulty. "Pleasant dreams, Bella – I'll send a copy of the Prophet when our victory is complete."

Narcissa went out the door and threw the invisibility cloak over the grim and put the raven back in the pocket of her cloak. The grim followed her obediently as she made her way down to the entrance where the guard and warden awaited her.

"She wasn't very cooperative, but I think I got what I came for." Narcissa said complacently.

The warden nodded and the guard took her back to the boat. The grim followed her into the boat after the guard left, a good thing, as the cloak began slipping, even with the sticking charm she had put on it. Narcissa allowed a few tears to fall as she went back across the sea. Even knowing how far gone her sister was, it had hurt to hear her regret not killing Draco. It made leaving any lingering feelings for her sister far behind her much easier.

Lucius and a portkey awaited her and they landed in the rooms they'd put together for Sirius. With the spells off Sirius popped back into himself and lunged at Lucius, hands clutching for the wand. Lucius sidestepped and winced as the wizard fell heavily to the floor. The skeletal form looked like it should shatter at the force of the impact.

Narcissa quickly hovered Sirius to an overstuffed chair and put a sticking charm on him. Weak as he was it should be enough.

"Sirius – we rescued you from Azkaban as soon as we found out you were innocent." Narcissa said before he could start cursing.

Sirius sneered. "Really … how very noble of you 'Cissa. What do you intend? I won't help you with anything your Death Eater husband and friends …"

"Well, we're quite sure that you want to help your godson … you do recall Harry, don't you?" Lucius broke in.

Harry came in the door, and Sirius looked stunned. "Harry ….? What have they done …?"

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Severus went back to Hogwarts after watching the lengthy argument with Sirius. He had ranted at length, pleading with Harry to 'run', then saying it wasn't Harry – or he wouldn't be there willingly, then weeping that Harry was in terrible danger.

Severus had tried to stay out – he would only infuriate Sirius more. But he'd finally had enough after the raving seemed to be upsetting Harry. He spelled a calming potion and super-strength nutrient potion into Black.

They had a battalion of elves bath him – several times - and then feed him. A dreamless sleep was forced down his throat – they would try again in the morning.

Meanwhile, Severus reported to Albus. "I got Harry alone for a few days after the racehorses' accident. I talked to him again about the Horcruxes and he helped me destroy the diadem … he is quite determined now to destroy them all – and I believe I have him convinced that you are the one with the information needed to find them all." Albus nodded and stroked his beard with a smile … at last the boy was coming around. "I couldn't quite convince him to go looking for the Stone … he keeps saying that if you have hidden it and protected it – that it must be safe and he would only mess up what you have done …."

Severus watched Albus carefully, hoping the flattery would help cushion the blow about the stone. They did not want Harry running through that gauntlet, no matter what Albus insisted on.

Albus pursed his lips and thought. Not having Harry go after the stone was disappointing, but getting his trust was more important, and Severus would have difficulty convincing Harry of what a great wizard Albus was and imply he needed help with the stone at the same time. At last Albus nodded with a smile and said, "Well done." And waved Severus off – that always irritated Severus, Albus acting like he was a trained beast that had done their trick and could run back to the kennel again.

He left the tower and stalked to Quirrell's office to placate the parasite on the back of the DADA teacher's head that dared to imply he was still a Dark Lord.

"We've found a way past the Cerebus – it falls asleep to music." Quirrell piped up immediately.

Severus managed to act surprised and imparted his own news. "The devils snare, of course will give way to a sunlight spell, and then the 'key room' … well the keys are spelled against being summoned, so you may need to actually chase it. The chessboard isn't so heavily protected – but you'll have to use the most powerful smashing hex you can summon to cut through the protections that are there and destroy the chess set so you can go on through. You'll have to deal with the troll … but Quirrell is supposed to be the expert there …" Severus curled a lip at the nervous DADA teacher. "I can tell you which potion to take at the next obstacle …" Or maybe get mixed up and have you drink the poison, Severus thought. "… but the final chamber has the Mirror of Erised and I've no idea of how that obstacle works." Severus ended with what he hoped sounded like dejection instead of relief.

Quirrell looked nervous at this and there was infuriated hissing from the back of his head that made Severus' stomach lurch.

"You will find out how it works … and soon, Severus." Voldemort ordered angrily.

"It won't be easy … he refuses to tell anyone of what he has done with the mirror." Severus answered a bit sulkily. "But I will work on him … it may take a bit of time."

Voldemort hissed angrily, but he was in no position to kill one of the only two wizards currently helping him. Severus was clever – but even he would need time to get the information.

Severus escaped with a sense of relief. Things were progressing, but that didn't mean there weren't hazards – like a psychotic Dark Lord possessed teacher and a power-hungry unscrupulous Headmaster.

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A/N – a short chapter, but at least I got it done.


	13. Chapter 13

PB13

Disclaimer – I'm just writing for fun – it's all JKR's, except for Rusty …

Chapter 13

Sirius sat, a bit dejectedly, playing a game of cards with Dudley, Draco and Harry. The boys would be going back to their respective schools in the morning and he would miss them. He glanced at Draco, feeling a bit apologetic about a few of the things he'd yelled about the boy's parents. They'd accepted his apology, when he'd realized his mistake … but still he flushed to remember the virulent insults he'd shouted.

It stung that there were still so many house-elves scattered around the room, 'cleaning', ready to act if he became violent. Still, after his numerous attempts to kill Lucius and Severus the first two days he'd been here, he supposed they had cause.

It had taken days to convince him they were sincere in their wish to help him, and he'd remained skeptical of their assertions that Harry was not there under duress … or was being tricked. Finally Severus had asked him if there was a way to cheat a Pensieve. Sirius knew quite well that there was not – and any changed or faked memory was immediately obvious to anyone who knew what to look for – and as an Auror, he'd certainly known.

They'd pulled out a pensieve and Severus had dropped a memory into it. To his relief Narcissa had been the one to accompany him to watch a horrifying memory of Albus and Minerva discussing just leaving him in Azkaban. It was painfully obvious that Albus had known he was innocent from the first. The memory went to one of them talking about changing the students sorting – another blow to Sirius, and making him briefly wonder about his own. Several more 'strategy sessions' were watched … and then the worst, where Albus had blithely announced to Severus that 'the boy must die'.

At that moment – even if they had still been aligned with Voldemort, Sirius would have joined them, and he'd said so … rather loudly and using language that Narcissa would have hexed him for if the boys had been present.

Sirius had met Vernon – the cheerful muggle had had lunch with him several days in a row – and had told him about Harry's years with them – how much of a joy he'd been to Petunia, and how the three of them had struggled to make her time happy before she'd been taken from them. Sirius had burned with anger to hear that Harry's money had not been available to help them. Lucius' rescue was only mildly surprising, at this point, although Sirius wondered how Lucius had kept himself from simply seizing the boy.

Sirius had asked to see the memory of the show they'd put on for the Wizengamot after Hagrid's breaking and entering debacle and had for the first time felt appreciative of Severus' cunning and Lucius' ability to play to an audience. Harry's rant had saddened him – Petunia and her boys should have enjoyed her final months with no worries.

Now he was simply trying to regain his health and catch up on what had been happening in the world. He was slowly easing into trusting the residents of the Malfoy Manor and Harry's Dower House. To his relief Severus did little other than drop the memories into the pensieve for him to watch.

Having to accept that Snape, of all people, was one of Harry's best lines of defense against Albus had been hard to swallow, but after accepting that Albus was as power-hungry as Voldemort it had not been as difficult as it could have been. Still, he was glad they hadn't needed to have a 'heart to heart', as yet.

The boys looked out the large window – spelled to not allow anyone to see in. There were several Aurors, decked out in their very best bright red uniforms.

"Bet they finally noticed you were gone, Siri." Draco snickered.

Dudley shook his head a bit mournfully, "He's been gone for eight days … I really expected to see them earlier than this."

"I'm going down to listen … I'll report back …" Harry scampered to the door.

The other two looked a little outraged and Sirius chuckled and waved them to the door. "Come straight back and let me know what was said." Draco and Dudley grinned and hared off after Harry.

Sirius sat in the window seat and viewed the group of red-robes. He wasn't sure he recognized any of them, except for Mad-eye Moody, who stood out in any crowd.

Madame Bones led her group into the Malfoy Manor. She'd donned the full regalia of her office in hopes of impressing on Lucius and Narcissa that the dignity of the Ministry was at stake and that this … situation … needed to be handled with delicacy. Fudge was having kittens over the escape of Sirius Black, and they'd been digging non-stop to find any explanation. They'd noticed that Narcissa – maiden name Black – had been there over a week ago. Her reason for being there was not a bad one. This was likely a waste of time, but at the moment they had no other leads at all.

Lucius led them to the well – lit sitting room where Narcissa and Vernon were having tea. They had known this would be coming and Vernon had felt his presence would remind the Aurors that the Malfoys were not as they had been – that they were now apparently embracing 'all things muggle'.

Lucius stood behind Narcissa's chair and tried to look reasonably relaxed. It was imperative that this interview go well. Their image was on the upswing, that was true, but it was fragile and an accusation from the Ministry would have everyone believing the worst of them again.

Madame Bones took the offered seat with her three Aurors standing at attention by the doorway. She would not usually sit down, but the Minister had made it clear they were to have 'a friendly chat' with Mr Dursley and the Malfoys and only if there was clear involvement in the escape was she to become more hostile in her demeanor.

"To what do we own this pleasure, Madame Bones?" Narcissa allowed a hint of anxious confusion to enter her voice. No reaction to the sudden arrival of Aurors would seem suspicious … would tell them they had **expected** to be visited. Lucius' impassivity they would expect – he was well known to pride himself on never being taken off-guard – or at least never letting people know it.

"I'm afraid I come bearing ill news, Mrs Malfoy." Madame Bones began, and turned to Vernon – deciding that an oblique attack might bring out more information than a frontal assault … assuming there was anything to find out.

Harry, joined by Dudley and Draco crouched by a partly open door that lead to a side – room that housed dozens of different tea sets and cabinets full of things that might be needed to impress people that were over for a high tea. They had an excellent view of all the inhabitants of the room.

"… Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban …" Amelia and the other Aurors watched their reactions closely. They had discussed the reactions they should show – too much would be worse than none at all. Vernon had practiced a look of confused anxiety. Narcissa allowed her eyes to widen and she gasped in surprise and alarm. Lucius straightened, looking a bit grave.

"Sirius Black …?" Vernon repeated. "Petunia mentioned that name a few times … but I don't recall …" Vernon stopped and appeared to think. "… wasn't he one of James' friends?"

Madame Bones sat back. They seemed to be sincere, but she knew that the Slytherins were masters of deception … Mr Dursley, though – a muggle – he would surely not be nearly as adept at trickery? "Yes, he was a close friend … and your nephew Harry Potter's godfather. However he was the one who betrayed the Potters to 'He Who Must Not Be Named' … betrayed them to their deaths."

Vernon had no difficulty looking a bit sick at the news. If Sirius had not been innocent, this would have been very grave news, indeed.

"How did my …?" Narcissa began and then bit her lip and looked down as if a bit embarrassed. "How did my _illustrious_ cousin manage this?" Rather than have Moody throw her relationship to Black in her face later in the 'interview', she mentioned it herself, and rendered the information less damaging.

Madame Bones spoke carefully and looked at Narcissa with a neutral expression. "We have been searching quite diligently for a way he might have managed it. We did notice you were seeing your sister the week before he managed his escape."

Narcissa sat back and donned a surprised expression, Lucius let his hand fall onto her shoulder and fixed the Aurors with a less friendly look. "I see …" Narcissa said, as if the implications of their visit had only just dawned on her. "I did need to get her extracted from the warding … there are ways having her able to breach the wards could be used even with her imprisoned … but I don't need to explain that to you …" Narcissa rambled, looking flustered by their implied accusation. "I went nowhere near Sirius Black's cell …"

"The wards that were called up did show you never entered the hallway he was in … you understand that we needed to follow every lead …?" Madame Bones continued to watch Narcissa, who merely allowed a relieved look to creep over her face.

Lucius decided that before Moody could start on the questions he had, that the second part of the play should start. They'd expected to have Harry 'happen to be at the entrance' when Auror left, but Lucius saw them gawking through the small door – might as well let Harry say the lines they'd scripted now instead of later.

Lucius decided to show off one of the handful of wandless spells he was capable of and waved the door open wide. This caused the three to fall to the floor in a pile.

"Well, what do you three have to say for yourselves – eavesdropping like that?" Vernon was closest to them and strode the two steps to stand over them with a disapproving look. Lucius gave them a subtle nod that told them they were to proceed.

Dudley and Draco bounced to their feet and gave Harry a hand up – as he'd been on the bottom of the dog pile.

"Sorry dad … but, well – they're Aurors!" Dudley answered Vernon breathlessly while he and Draco gazed at the stunning red uniforms greedily.

Harry gave them a delighted smile as well, causing Dawlish and Shacklebolt to preen a little. "I'm sorry we were listening in – I'm afraid our curiosity got the best of us." Harry said earnestly to Bones. "Aunt 'Tuney always lectured us about that …"

Amelia softened at Harry's apology. "Well, curiosity is a failing of felines – even ones that are lions." She smiled at the three. "No harm done – and I think we are about done, anyway …"

"I can't believe Black escaped … no one's ever done that." Draco began their little part of the charade.

Before Bones could answer, Dudley broke in, "Well, maybe the dogcatchers in the muggle world will capture him for you." The other two boys laughed in agreement.

"I beg your pardon?" Amelia broke into the hilarity, there was a clue here – her gut told her as much.

"Well, he's the one that can turn into a dog … isn't he?" Harry turned to Dudley as if for conformation.

"He's an animagus you say?" Moody barked, moving forward a bit aggressively. "How is it you know this?"

Dudley yelped and dove behind Narcissa's chair between Lucius and Vernon. Draco and Harry took refuge on either side of Narcissa, who gathered them to her side and frowned at Moody. Amelia pushed Moody back behind her with an order to stop frightening children.

"Now then, if this is true – it's very important information. I just need to know where you heard this …" Amelia smiled at the wary Harry Potter and eyed Lucius, wondering if he'd been reminiscing about Death Eater activity and had mentioned his fellow Dark Lord follower's ability.

"Aunt 'Tuney used to tell us stories before bed when we were little. I liked stories about my parents. She didn't really know my dad – James – but my mum had written letters to her all the time and so she'd tell me stories about him using what information that she did have – she always made sure I knew that the stories she told were made up." Harry smiled in remembrance. "She told me about James being able to become a stag and made up adventures and mischief he got up to with his friends … one of them turned into a wolf, one a dog and one a rat …"

Kingsley smiled mistily at Harry, charmed by the tale, Dawlish was grinning – he'd get free drinks for weeks tell other bar-flies about this. Moody and Amelia were both deep in thought and Moody finally nodded, "Must be how he did it – Azkaban's wards don't stop animagi – they're rare enough that they aren't included. The doors and such should have stopped him, though."

Kingsley cocked an eyebrow, "They're pretty careless about doors at times – sometimes they'll leave one unlocked or partly open to have a good laugh when the prisoners try to step outside the cell and get zapped real good by the lightning hex the doorways are warded with."

Amelia nodded in agreement, and then looked at Harry. "Are you sure that it is Sirius Black that was the dog?"

Harry nodded emphatically, "Yes, the wolf was named Remy or Reggie or something and the rat was Peter. I remember the dog was black, so I thought it was a little funny that his last name was Black as well."

Amelia stood and smiled with satisfaction, "You have all been a great help … we certainly appreciate the cooperation." Lucius bowed slightly and saw them to the door, relieved that everything had gone as planned. All he'd had to do was to let Harry impart the information in an 'innocent' fashion and the Aurors were off, chasing a different trail.

Lucius got back to the sitting room in time to hear Draco ask his mother, "Do you think that shade of red would look well on me?"

Dammit – his eye was twitching again.

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Severus watched the students file into the Great Hall for dinner after the first day back at Hogwarts with a mix of satisfaction and dread. He'd not been able to put Quirrell / Voldemort off any longer, so he'd finally told him the key to the mirror, knowing it would be of little use to him.

"The stone can only be removed by someone who does not wish to use it …" Severus had said to the Dark Lord apologetically. Of course Dumbledore had a fail-safe to get it out for himself – after all, Albus couldn't claim to not want it as much as the Dark Lord. Severus had seen the gleam in Albus' eye when he spoke of the Stone.

It would take a while for the Dark Lord to think of using another person to get at the stone – he would never think there might actually be someone out there that _**didn't **_want the stone.

Sirius was now turned loose to start creating havoc. It would hopefully cause Albus to be too distracted to keep an eye on Severus and Harry. Sirius would soon start popping up at Wizard places – loudly proclaiming his innocence and wailing that he'd not even had a trial. He'd be discounted as a lying manipulator … at first. Soon people would look into things. After all, the ministry was already sniffing around because of Minerva.

Severus glanced at the pale and unhappy looking Minerva sitting by the oblivious Albus. Her idol had not only feet of clay … but was entirely made up of it.

Severus excused himself, saying he had a large number of essays to wade through. He was soon down at Hogsmeade meeting with an eager Rita Skeeter. She'd taken a room above the Hogshead for the meeting and Severus kept a notice-me-not charm up as he made his way to her door. She was stirring some tea and had her quill and paper ready.

"Severus, how very good to see you …" Rita purred, sensing he had something _delicious _for her.

Severus sat next to her on the divan and smirked happily. Rita usually was out for the next scoop and used whoever to get it. The evening he would have the pleasure of using her and her quick-quotes quill to get what he wanted.

"So, you said there was something that you could give me that would make me _**very **_happy …?" Rita let her eyes droop a little and leaned toward him a bit. Severus Snape really was quite alluring in a rather **dark** way. Rita found him quite fascinating.

Severus managed a look that was almost coy, "Well, you must be aware that the Auror Corp is out in force, the Minister is apoplectic and there seems to be something happening in Azkaban?"

"Yes, indeed …" Rita was almost salivating. "Do **you **know what it is all about?"

Severus grinned a little more. "Yes … there was an escape from our much lauded Azkaban prison." Rita leaned forward a little farther, breathing a little faster. "The escapee was …" Severus dangled the sentence a bit, watching her hands creep forward towards him. " … was Sirius Black." Rita's breath caught in a strangled gasp and her eyes were glassy with arousal at the thought of the headlines she was about to get. "It turns out that he might not have had an actual trial …"

Severus was cut off as Rita leaped on him with a growl of glee, tearing at his jacket – not bothering with the buttons. Severus awakened in the Inn's bed hours later reflecting that there was certainly more than one way to seduce a witch.

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A/N – Wanted to get this out before Thanksgiving hit – It's my holiday to work and I only get one day off this week – Happy Thanksgiving to all!


	14. Chapter 14

PB14

Disclaimer – I own none of the Potterverse – JKR does.

Chapter 14

Severus read that morning's Daily Prophet with satisfaction. Sirius Black was finally being of some use. Rita had been persuaded to hold off on the headlines 'too make a greater impact'. Now, two weeks after school had resumed, Sirius had appeared a few places, raving about not having had a trial and that Peter Pettigrew was alive and a danger to Harry Potter.

Public response was mostly "scoffing at the madman", though Ministry Personnel who were already looking for 'the person who'd not gotten a trial' for Minerva were now trying to unearth Sirius Black's files and were becoming suspicious that he might be the one she'd meant.

Severus and Lucius had arranged for Rita to 'just happen' to be in Dovetown at the same time as Sirius. Dovetown was a mostly muggle town with an area owned by wizards – an area with aversion charms and disillusionment to prevent muggles from bothering them. There was a very nice Italian restaurant in the town that wizards and witches from around the entire country came to. They did a brisk business and Sirius Black had shown up in all his ragged glory while Rita – and her photographer – was there.

Sirius had wept - loud enough to be heard throughout the place - that his poor godson Harry Potter was in grave danger. He tore at his hair and howled that Peter was the traitor – that he'd never been given a trial or an opportunity to give evidence with veritaserum … as he was willing to do even now.

He'd disappeared just as the Aurors the maître d' had summoned arrived. Sirius, luckily, had a wand – 'stolen' from a polyjuiced Lucius during Sirius' first appearance in Diagon Alley. 'Lucius' had complained loudly before leaving by a convenient floo.

Rita had gotten some interesting pictures and had quoted Sirius Black's every word. She speculated in her front page article about what it would mean if Peter _**was**_ alive. She also quoted a few ministry workers – who remained anonymous – that they'd been set the task of finding out about a prisoner in Azkaban who had not received a trial … by a Hogwarts Professor. There now seemed to be no sign of any trial transcripts for Sirius Black, and he perhaps was correct that he'd never been tried.

Rita went on at length, going over how the courts even at times of great upheaval were supposed to work. After all, even the LeStranges and some of the most nefarious of the Death Eaters had had trials – some had lasted for days. True, Sirius Black was considered the very worst, as he had betrayed the now sainted Potters … but he should have had a trial, even if a very short one.

She also speculated about Peter Pettigrew, quoting an Auror named Dawlish who had been overheard on several occasions at various wizarding bars boasting about being with Madame Bones when informing Harry Potter and the other occupants of the Malfoy Estate of Black's escape. The story of James Potter and the other animagus' had spread quickly … including the tidbit of Peter being 'a rat'.

Severus watched with rather dark amusement while Minerva began to pale and look sick, and Albus looked thunderous. Severus caught a glance from Harry and allowed a smirk to slip out briefly. Harry grinned and elbowed Draco who beamed happily at his own paper. The Headmaster and Minerva got up from the table and Severus rushed out a side door – this was a meeting not to be missed.

Severus scurried quickly into the hidden corner in Albus' office. The little meeting was already not going well. Minerva had to admit that she'd been looking into getting Sirius his trial … after all, Albus was so busy, and this way he need not be involved.

Albus ignored her tearful pleas and was shouting that she had betrayed him. "… you went and freed Black … I know you must have …" Albus paced, paying no attention to her denials. "If I decided Black was to be freed – it should have been by me … I needed him loyal to me, so that my plans for Harry would not be thwarted by him." Albus actually growled, while Minerva watched him in bewilderment. "Now he's running around loose … shouting out things I needed kept under wraps until _**I **_revealed them. Exposed by me at the right time – the facts would weigh in my favor, and the blame shifted to Crouch or others. Now they'll look at me, instead."

"But, Albus … Sirius was in Azkaban … and innocent …" Minerva bleated weakly. Why wasn't Albus concerned about this? Minerva had blind spots – not many, she was usually rather pragmatic. None the less, Albus was her one big blind area. This heartlessness toward her favorite Gryffindors was tearing holes in her carefully crafted vision of him.

Albus looked at her, as if only now noticing she was there. He could see he was losing her – or at least she no longer was viewing him as infallible. She'd never have sprung Sirius behind his back in the past. Now she was arguing about his tactics and objecting to the … sacrifices … that needed to be made. Of course it was sacrifice of a Gryffindor that she objected to, but still. He needed an unquestioning pawn at his side … not someone who did things without his say-so.

"Minerva …" Albus bestowed a not-so-kindly look on her. He knew how to play her, and he needed her somewhere being useful instead of stabbing him in the back. "This mess regarding Black is of your making …" He waved off her continued protests of innocence as irrelevant. "… Black needs to be brought under control. You know most of the Aurors since so many are former Gryffindors and people do listen to you. Damage control is needed and that will likely take up a great deal of time. You will need to step down as Deputy Headmistress … you will be too busy tracking down our errant animagus and getting him to fall into line."

Minerva's eyes flew open wide in horror. "But, Albus … who will take the position …?" Her eyes narrowed in hate. "… you aren't going to give it to that, that … Slytherin?"

Albus smiled slightly. "But with him as Deputy, I can assign him duties that … later … may implicate him in unfortunate events – like poor Harry Potter's death. After Voldemort kills him, anyone bearing the mark will again be suspect and I might find that I have been deceived by him, after all. And of course double agents are notorious for playing both sides."

Severus listened intently. In the past he'd have been thrilled to hear about his upcoming advancement. Watching Minerva's smirking face while she contemplated his upcoming Azkaban confinement took the shine off it.

All this could be of use, of course. Albus blaming Minerva for Black's break-out was spectacularly opportune for them – Albus was ridding himself of his right hand and they hadn't needed to do anything at all. Not to mention Albus was placing Severus where he could do the most good – good for Harry, anyway.

Albus started doing up the paperwork for switching Deputies while Minerva sulked, and Severus took his leave. Albus had no intention of ever placing Minerva back in power. She had become too clingy for quite some time and now with her questioning him, she needed to go. Ousting her as Deputy was first on the list … and it was better if he had her cooperation in it.

Replacing a teacher in the middle of the year was a bother … although he had a lot of practice with doing so every year with the Defense position. He had a long list of potential candidates for that – none were very good, but that was all for the best as well.

The Transfiguration position, though – his own old position was one he wanted to keep in preeminence in the wizarding world. Having Hogwarts transfiguration classes the best in the wizarding world was a part of his legacy. He would replace Minerva before the next year started, even so. He would have plenty of time to find an excellent new Transfiguration Professor.

Minerva slunk back to her office, fuming. She was supposed to persuade Sirius to turn himself over to Albus, so Albus could 'bring him to the Ministry to be exonerated', making Albus look like the hero. The problem was that Albus still believed she had helped Sirius escape – and therefore would know how to find him. It was just too bad for Minerva that she did not, she thought angrily.

Severus 'happened' by while Minerva looked over an Atlas of Britain and Scotland, feeling that perhaps just stabbing at a spot with her eyes closed was her best bet for starting the hunt.

Severus halted in the doorway for a moment and then ambled over to gaze at the map in apparent interest. "Planning a trip Professor McGonagall?" He asked brightly. He watched her hands clench a bit and then relax.

She decided to go with the cover story they had decided on to hide her disgrace with the Headmaster. "Yes, as a matter of fact … The Headmaster is entrusting me with an important duty – to track down Sirius Black before he gets hurt and see him to the safety of The Headmasters protection." She took a deep breath while Severus watched, quite amused at her obvious discomfort. "And since you are here, I may as well let you know that I need to relinquish the duties of Deputy Head to you while I do this … I am sure it is only temporary, of course." Damn Albus for insisting she tell Severus … rubbing salt into the wound.

"Well, I am quite honored …" Severus gave her a smile that was more a show of teeth. "… I am quite happy to take up your duties … of course if you need even more time, I'm sure that Professor Babbling would be happy to take your duties as Head of House as well … it would be pity if that were necessary, of course." Severus watched with satisfaction as she flushed with temper, although her eyes flickered nervously … she was likely hoping Albus didn't think of that as well.

Minerva scoffed and then answered, grinding the words out with anger. "What do you know of **pity **… do you even know the meaning of the word, Professor Snape?"

"No, not really … it's just a figure of speech …" Severus answered, no longer amused. "… my Professors never taught me – or showed me - what it meant." Severus turned around with a snap of his cloak, disappearing down the hall with his emotions at a boil.

Severus retreated to his own office and took a few minutes to meditate, recovering his calm and returning his resentment at old injuries to the past where it belonged. Then he wrote a note to Lucius to let him know the latest event to unfold.

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Narcissa and Lucius laughed over Severus' letter all the way to Grimmauld Place. Sirius was meeting them to search for the horcrux they hoped was hidden there. Several of the Death Eaters that they had talked to had remembered talk of Regulus 'turning traitor' and being killed – and whispers of a dark artifact.

Sirius felt conflicted. He'd considered Regulus a die-hard blood purist and dark wizard. The idea of him betraying Voldemort seemed too good to be true – and if true, Sirius would have to once again mourn the loss of his brother.

Once they entered the Malfoys stopped laughing and looked around in horrified disgust. Even Sirius, after all his years in a filthy Azkaban cell was a bit put off by all the dust and dinginess. Narcissa yelled for several of her own house-elves who arrived with squawks of horror at the sight of the dingy house.

Kreacher appeared and started to protest, until he caught sight of 'Narcissa … a true Black heiress'. The old house elf muttered about the shameful son who dared show his face … Sirius Black and looked at Lucius closely, trying to decide if he belonged there. The portrait of Walburga awakened and started yelling, and Narcissa hurried over to shush her, reassuring the old hag that she was setting things to rights.

Sirius grimaced and sneered at the old elf, who had always hated him. Narcissa had made him promised to leave the talking to her. Severus arrived and he and Sirius started searching for a Horcrux, while Narcissa and Lucius quizzed Kreacher about Regulus.

Severus and Sirius had agreed that they both were dedicated to saving Harry – and the rest of the wizarding world from both Voldemort and Dumbledore. Sirius knew Severus had a despicable and possibly unforgivably heinous plan to eliminate the pair of them and he only hoped that the Slytherin swine succeeded – and allowed him to participate in it in some way.

Still, the two of them tended to cheerfully snipe at each other whenever they could do so without upsetting Harry, Draco or Dudley. The boys didn't quite understand that the back and forth insults and sarcasm were there way to work through any lingering anger.

They started their search, working their way from the cellars and going up. It took time, as there were simply so many objects that dripped with darkness. They were fairly sure that they were looking for a necklace of some sort … but there was a lot of ugly jewelry stored in the house, ranging from neckwear that looked like collars, endless variations of beads of all lengths, torques and chains, some chokers – a few of which they were sure actually would choke the wearer. There was a box full of nothing but different pendants – some were cheap looking and others were obviously very valuable gems.

A few were dark enough that neither of them was sure if they were possibly a Horcrux or something else … though they could think of nothing that could be darker. They carefully hovered the suspect items into a bag, hoping nothing would interact. They got to the first floor and avoided the library where there could hear a tearful Kreacher talking to Narcissa about a cave somewhere.

The drawing room had six frantic house-elves working on cleaning a decade of grime from the windows facing the road. It had once been a beautiful room but the entire house seemed determined to reflect the overwhelming depression that exuded from the painting of Walburga and the house-elf. Not to mention the sheer number of dark magic present made darkness hang heavy in the air.

One wall in the drawing room was floor to ceiling glass cabinet full of objects – Orders of Merlin, old wands that were encrusted with jewels or made from crystals, grimoires … and various items of jewelry. They started on the items and Sirius barked for Snape to not get caught up with reading the grimoires.

"I at least am aware of my priorities, Black. We need to get rid of the last Horcrux to defeat the Dark Lord and assist Harry." Severus sniffed superiorly.

Sirius scowled. "Well, what do you think my priority is, then?" He immediately winced, realizing he'd given the Slytherin a perfect opening. He'd been in Azkaban too long if he was leaving himself wide open like this.

Severus smiled a bit. "Well, I've always thought it was availability of women …" With such an easy mark Severus couldn't work up the energy to fire off a truly devastating verbal volley.

Sirius shot a glare at him anyway, "No …" he sputtered, uncomfortably aware that between Azkaban and being on the run that even Snape might be getting more action than him.

Snape smirked and picked up another necklace to inspect. "Did I get the gender wrong?" He asked with artificial sweetness.

Sirius huffed in outrage and then barked another laugh. "It's been a decade, but if I recall correctly I preferred those of the female persuasion. Maybe when this is over I'll get to remind myself of their charms ... repeatedly."

"Ten points from Gryffindor for an appalling display of wishful thinking … Oh, wait you're not still a horny sixth year … I keep forgetting when you insist on sounding like one." Severus snickered.

Sirius sniffed, "Just for that … I won't snag one for you as well. I was sure that I could find a witch that was nearsighted enough to be willing to go on a double – date."

Severus actually laughed at that, making Sirius smirk in triumph. They had almost worked their way through the first cabinet by then, when Severus suddenly halted. His Mark had flared into painful life as he reached for the next necklace, a locket that looked rather old. The gold was dingy – obviously had not been cleaned in a while. A stylized S was picked out in deep green emeralds. It was obviously what they were looking for.

"Sirius, would you get Lucius and Narcissa?" Severus asked in a chill voice.

Sirius caught on quickly and ran for the Malfoys and soon they were huddled around the necklace that Severus hovered to a nearby table. Kreacher caught sight of it and yelped.

"That is the necklace Regulus asked me to destroy." Kreacher whined, thumping his head on the floor in misery. "I tried and tried … Kreacher could not do it …"

Narcissa quickly caught Sirius and Severus up on the tale of the Horcrux. Sirius sighed. So his little brother had tried to make at least one thing right when he realized that the Dark Lord was not what he said he was.

"Kreacher, I promise we will destroy the necklace as Regulus asked." Sirius disliked the elf, but Kreacher had tried to help Regulus and perhaps he could be turned around a bit.

Kreacher looked up at Sirius doubtfully. "Does master mean it?" He asked without much hope.

"Yes … we are working at defeating the Dark Lord that killed our beloved Regulus." Sirius managed to say it without sneering. Regulus may not have stuck with the Dark Lord, but he'd certainly believed in blood purity. "We will avenge him … and we're going to see to it that Dumbledore doesn't get his way, either."

Kreacher perked up at that. Master Sirius might be learning to be a proper Black after all.

The Malfoys took the necklace to be destroyed after instructing the house-elves to continue with the cleaning, though they could trade out with other elves – taking turns in shifts. Hopefully it wouldn't take longer than a few months to get it habitable.

Severus prepared to return to Hogwarts, satisfied that the last Horcrux besides the ring was gone. Albus was intending to get the ring that weekend, and then the race would be on. Voldemort – Quirrell would soon want a chance at the Stone, so the other plans needed to be in action.

The end would be near for them, and Harry would finally be safe.

"I think I'll show up at a Quidditch match, next." Sirius mused. "Or, if I can track the Aurors I'll find Moody and run off with his fake leg in my Grim form."

Severus paused at the floo. "Well let me know – I'll alert Rita. I want a picture of Moody if you get his leg."

"So Rita likes you then?" Sirius leered a bit. "Well, don't do anything I wouldn't do …"

Severus threw the powder down. "Well, that should be fairly easy, Black. Try not to cause an insurrection while you're out there."

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything." Sirius waved him off cheerfully.

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A/N – Short, but I'm hoping to get things wound up a bit.


	15. Chapter 15

PB15

Disclaimer – It all belongs to JKR.

Chapter 15

Sirius eyed the people leaving the Quidditch match closely. He'd enjoyed viewing the Harpies creatively displayed busts and had spotted Moody and Dawlish sitting not far from him. When he could tell the match would soon end, he'd signaled a smirking Rita and her photographer and headed outside. Rita loitered nearby 'taking a poll' among the spectators about whether they thought Sirius Black innocent or not.

It being a weekend, there was well-organized cover for him … Severus, Lucius and Narcissa were nearby, disguised as slightly inebriated Quidditch fans.

Sirius broke cover, waving his arms and shouting with wild eyes, "Harry is in danger! … Peter Pettigrew is going to kill him! …" Sirius ran around, flailing dramatically and predicting the end of the world as they knew it if Pettigrew - the rat - was not captured.

This had become Sirius' mission – to keep all eyes on him and to focus the wizarding world's attention on where Pettigrew might be, if Sirius was correct.

The crowd erupted, some people apparated away immediately. Some ran for cover, to watch the show from a safe distance. A few fired stunners at Sirius, who either dodged or ducked behind someone – who would then take the hit and drop like a rock.

There were shouts – from wizards and witches that were getting hexed. A few were shouting questions at Sirius – wanting to know if he really was innocent and how had he managed to escape Azkaban. Rita trotted behind Sirius, shouting questions of her own. Her quick-quotes-quill and pad followed her, writing frantically and dodging a few hexes of it's own by prior victims of Rita's articles.

Moody and Dawlish waded into the madness, shouting for Sirius to surrender in the name of the ministry, and fired off more hazardous spells. Sirius remained able to evade their curses, thanks to a speed and agility potion Severus had given to him just prior to the Quidditch match. Victims of Moody and Dawlish's attempts at capturing the weeping and wailing Sirius added to the angry shouting and the scene soon degenerated into chaos.

Lucius and Severus managed to walk straight into a pair of hexes when they deemed the time was right and fell onto Moody, clutching at his wand arm … and his leg. Moody tried to pull away, but the Slytherins gave a good imitation of wizards under a confundus and they just grabbed harder. It took some doing, but Severus managed to get Moody's leg off – after doing some silent cancellations of the spells on the leg.

Sirius saw his cue for action and popped into his black dog form and raced to snatch the leg off the ground and then ran for it. Moody shook off the wizards with a roar and fired a hex or two after the escaping animagus. Narcissa, hidden in a small group of confused witches cast some shields to protect Sirius' escape and then apparated away before she could be questioned. Lucius and Severus did the same as quickly as possible.

Rita's photographer left before any of his terribly embarrassing photos could be confiscated, leaving Rita to bear down on Moody and Dawlish to quiz them about their clear incompetence and whether they thought Sirius was innocent … and if they knew about him not receiving a trial?

Moody lurched to his feet … err … one foot, actually. He leaned heavily on Dawlish and glared at Rita. The bitch had it in for him since he'd jailed one of her reporter friends that insisted on telling the truth no matter who it aided – ministry or suspected criminals. He could see the of gleam of malice in her eyes and knew there would be no reprieve from humiliation.

"Black is a wanted criminal … print that ya' stupid bint." He barked, too upset to come up with anything brighter.

Rita lifted her nose into the air and apparated to Daily Prophet to come up with the deadliest satire she could think of to lampoon Moody and his attempts to capture Black. She had agreed with Severus to go easy on the Minister and most of the Auror Corp. She needed to keep the Ministry in general from viewing her as an enemy … Severus had said there were future articles coming that she would need Ministry support to be able print, and if they felt she could not be trusted to not bring down the entire administration they would likely silence her.

Rita got to her desk and sent off an owl to Severus, planning to meet with him in room at the Leaky Cauldron … she wanted to see if he had any insults to add to the article and to show him the pictures the photographer had captured – and perhaps show him a good time as well, since he'd thought up the entire scene at the Quidditch match.

Severus was so deliciously wicked and could many times come up with even more devastating insults than she could … and they had discovered that they shared an implacable hatred for several Aurors ... Moody in particular.

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The conspirators met in the drawing rooms of Malfoy Manor, meeting with the eagerly waiting Vernon and regaled him with their tale. Moody's leg was consigned to Sirius' rooms for safekeeping and they toasted each other with Champagne brought out by eager elves that were listening in on the tale as well.

They had rehashed the tale a few times and were reviewing a few possible follow – up insults … leaving the leg in the atrium fountain or owling it back to Moody while he was at work were considered … when an owl arrived.

Narcissa smiled into her glass – Rita was quite taken with Severus it seemed. Lucius was torn – he wished Severus well, but _Rita Skeeter_? Vernon was uncertain, he had hoped for someone who would soften Severus a bit rather than encourage his vindictive streak – but if she made him happy, he supposed it was alright. Sirius scowled, just as he suspected … Snape was getting some and he had been too busy to get any – what with his being incarcerated and then on the run, damn it all.

Severus squirmed a bit, a trifle embarrassed - at least until he realized Sirius was a tad jealous – then he smirked. "Rita wants to meet to finish off her article with some extra insults … she has a room at the Leaky Cauldron and is awaiting me." Severus stood and swirled his cloak in a triumphant whirl while heading for the floo.

Sirius followed so he could smile innocently to the retreating Severus' back and say, "Tell her you are Hogwarts' new Deputy **Head**_**mistress**_**,** Severus … she can write an article about that, too." Sirius didn't even care that he sounded jealous, since the insult caused Severus to flush a bit angrily.

Narcissa snorted softly while Vernon paled and gulped. Lucius' eye twitched once in anticipation of the likely explosion. The house elves dove for cover and peeked out to watch, sure that something messy would happen that they would have to clean up after. Sirius continued smiling … the shot about Severus being a Headmistress had been great, he felt.

Of course Severus turning and drawing his wand in a split second was not so great and Sirius didn't totally dodge the static electricity hex. Balls of electricity danced up and down his body, zapping him with static randomly. It was a bit painful he had to admit - and quite humiliating considering he had to have help from Lucius to cancel it. Still, he'd gotten in a good insult … and Snape had been smiling as he left, so they were still sort of 'non-enemies'.

Lucius scowled while Narcissa, the house-elves and Vernon sighed in relief. No blood had been spilt, although Lucius was the only one disappointed in that.

Sirius excused himself to go to his room and plot what to do with 'the leg'.

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Severus hid behind the cover of his Daily Prophet, stifling snickers as he read Rita's article. The pictures of Sirius running in circles and waving his arms, along with the dog racing away with the leg were just perfect. Severus was contemplating starting a scrapbook. They'd left in most of his own insults for Moody – and a few from him about Dawlish as well. He'd known a few things about the two Aurors that were not common knowledge that were a bit embarrassing.

Dawlish had been on probation for drinking on the job several times and had been cited for roughing up prisoners on several occasions. He'd tried his hand at a bit of blackmail … saying that as they were known to have supported the Dark Lord, that it was alright – even if they hadn't had Dark Marks. Albus had hushed it all up, getting the victims to drop the charges in exchange for Albus expunging their records a to make their lives easier.

Moody, of course, had numerous lawsuits from people that he'd arrested and former prisoners that had been made to 'go away'. A few had been settled out of court. Albus had cut deals with others. Once or twice when Moody had gone too far the 'prisoner' was found to have 'committed suicide to escape prosecution' or was found guilty with rather manufactured evidence so their complaints of torture were ignored.

Severus didn't have evidence for all of the people on the list of names, and Rita didn't want to alarm the ministry too quickly. She revealed Dawlish's misdeeds and that Moody had an alarming list of lawsuits even if they'd all 'gone away'. She did state that she would be 'investigating' Moody's obvious issues with playing within the rules.

Between Rita's threatened investigations and Sirius' public appearances Albus would not be keeping as close an eye on Severus, he hoped. Severus snuck a glance at the Headmaster. Albus was flushed with temper and embarrassment and his jaw was tightly clenched.

Moody and Dawlish were his most loyal and dedicated men in the Ministry. He had a recruit that Moody said would be of use, if he agreed and fell in with them. But Shacklebolt did have a mind of his own – a Ravenclaw, and therefore facts could not be just glossed over when persuading him.

If Moody and Dawlish got the boot for their indiscretions he would be down to just a few 'old pals' from the days of Grindelwald that were semi-retired that would anything he asked. All the rest of his contacts were people that would ask questions – young people just out of Hogwarts or simply the sort to not just take his word for things.

Worst of all – some of the 'cover-ups' for the Moody and Dawlish would likely point straight at him. The ones listed by Rita at present were embarrassing, but not really criminal … but if she dug further? He sighed, who had given her this information? If whoever it was told all about the Death Eater and supporters that Moody and he had silenced … and that they had then 'confiscated' their fortunes there would be trouble.

Albus had counted on the fact that the ministry had been in chaos and that later people trusted him implicitly. Now, they tended to question him. If they dug up old cases … Albus threw the paper down and glanced at Minerva, who was looking at the paper in horror. He wondered if she had vented to Rita while sulking about her loss of the Deputy Headmistress position. She wouldn't have had to say all that much to set Rita off on an investigation.

Luckily he'd felt the need for another person to assist him in his endeavors. He had cast around in his memory for someone absolutely trusting when it came to him. Someone deeply indebted to him that he would not have to constantly explain his actions to. Albus had immediately thought of Remus Lupin. He'd intended to worm the man into Harry's life over spring break. Dursley had insisted that Harry not have him visit at Malfoy Manor until then. However, Albus had thought of a way around all that nonsense.

The Headmaster flung the paper down and attempted to ignore the fact that Harry, Draco and a bunch of their friends from various houses were reading the Prophet and laughing rather loudly. He needed to bring that little cretin back under control.

Albus cast a light _Sonorus,_ "I have another change in faculty to announce …" The students looked rather disinterested. Minerva's demotion really hadn't affected them at all … just the teachers. "As Rubeus Hagrid is rather enjoying working with dragons … he intends to stay on the Reserves indefinitely. Therefore I have replaced him with a Hogwarts alumnus … Mr. Remus Lupin."

A slight figure emerged from a nearby alcove; he'd expected to simply be shown to the hut after Albus had finished dinner. The announcement at breakfast was welcome, though, that way he didn't need to try to introduce himself to Harry … with any luck the boy would come to him.

There was polite applause from the students, although who the keeper of grounds and keys was, again, not something that really involved or interested them.

Remus retreated to a seat at the end of the table, trying to ignore the incredulous glare from Snape. The Headmaster had asked him here to keep an eye on Harry and Snape – and to help guide Harry. Snape would just have to deal with it.

Harry listened to the announcement with shock, and tried to cover his anger, as McGonagall and Dumbledore were likely watching. It wasn't fair to have Severus face the werewolf that had nearly killed him. Sure, Severus had been snooping around, but Sirius had set him off on the investigation with all the hints he'd dropped – even Sirius had admitted that Severus had more curiosity that a bagful of kneazles while in school – and likely still did.

Harry looked over at Lupin with reluctant sympathy. How terrible to be so shunned by much of the wizarding world, even if they had reason for trepidation. Yes, he was only truly dangerous during the full moon … and not even then if he took Wolfsbane potion, assuming Lupin **didn't want** to harm someone … but if a mistake or accident happened – or if he couldn't afford the potions? Well, something tragic could happen.

Severus had said that Lupin had become almost totally dependent on Albus – he had obviously been brought here to help Albus forge a connection with Harry – and to help keep Severus in line. Severus was obviously aware of it, as he folded up his paper and stalked to a door. Harry noticed with anger that Minerva was aiming a bitter sneer at Severus' back.

Harry managed to see Severus between classes, checking to see if he was alright. He arrived in time to hear the Headmaster 'suggesting' that Severus make Wolfsbane for Lupin. The steely undertone warned that it was a suggestion that Severus had best accede to.

Severus finally answered in flat, unhappy tones. "I suppose it is better than having him roaming around without it."

Albus smiled at Severus with a hint of steel in his eyes. He didn't intend for his new Deputy to get ideas like the last one had. He needed to know that Severus would follow his every directive with no questions.

"Lupin will help get Harry back into line." Albus said cheerfully. "He can tell Harry stories about his parents and chivvy him along to where we want him. Minerva has proved less than helpful with this."

Albus waved happily for Severus to continue on with whatever he had been doing and left.

Harry scurried in the door while Severus was still cursing the Headmaster under his breath.

"Don't let him get to you, Professor." Harry said bracingly. "We'll have to last laugh, anyways."

Severus smiled, as he always did when Harry beamed a cheeky grin at him. At first it had just been that it was Lily's laughing eyes returned to him … and that James' boy was looking to him for guidance, which would have made the elder Potter squawk in horror. Now, he liked the boy for himself – a young wizard that he hoped would grow up to be someone he respected.

"As a matter of fact – the next stage of the Horcrux plan is about to be enacted. Quirrell and his parasite are demanding that I get the stone for them. I said I would make the Headmaster fetch it." Severus looked at Harry speculatively.

He hesitated to let Harry know exactly how he would accomplish all this. The boys knew the basics with the nastier details glossed over. Severus grimaced. He would tell Harry the full story when he was older. After all he would need to know everything so he would know what they were doing about the Horcrux that Harry still carried.

"You've been saying you were looking for the perfect curse." Harry looked at Severus in question. "Did you finally find it?" Harry had not been bothered during the planning phase of getting Albus to fall into this trap … but now that they were actually doing it, Harry was a little nervous. He didn't know what curse Severus was thinking of, but he was sure it was unpleasant.

However Severus and Lucius said this was their best plan – and Uncle Vernon said that the plan was necessary, and Harry trusted their judgment. Severus had come up with the plot, and if the others could think of nothing to top it, it was likely the best one to go with.

Severus nodded slowly; he knew Harry had some reservations about getting the Headmaster nicely cursed. "I found a curse that will cause a progressive withering – I can easily confine it, so it would take months to kill him. He'll be easy to persuade to fetch the Sorcerer's Stone from the gauntlet and shut down that particular 'test'. I merely have to convince the Dark Lord to wait until the time is right and fall in with the rest of my plan."

Harry rolled his eyes and grimaced, "Oh, is that all?"

Severus managed a smirk, although it was not all that funny. Voldemort would not be easy to persuade when it meant he would have to wait. Severus would have to be at his most convincing.

Harry sighed and wished him luck. Severus walked up to an upper floor window in a nearly unused corridor. He transformed into the raven and flew to the outskirts of Hogwarts apparition border. Albus had gotten information on where Tom Riddles mother and father had grown up and lived. He felt that the ring might be hidden there – either in the Gaunt shack or the Riddle mansion. Of course no one knew exactly where the places were – other than they were in the vicinity of a town called Little Hangleton.

Severus, of course, was told to go track down exactly where the places were and find the ring if he could. That way Albus could just sweep in and get the ring after Severus gave him the apparition coordinates and location.

Severus would have resented doing Albus' footwork, except that in this case it worked in his favor.

Severus arrived in the village and cast a glamor, so the muggles saw an ordinary person in clothing they expected. A few question had him strolling up the lane to the Riddle mansion. A cursory inspection found nothing – though he got waylaid by the caretaker.

Severus simply muttered a calming charm and a few charms that persuaded him to cooperate. He soon had the general location of the Gaunt shack. Severus eyed the forbidding ruin and stopped just inside the doorway. There were definitely spells in place.

Remembering Voldemort's favorite traps, Severus chanted some disarming spells and as many counter – curses as he could think of. There was an occasional crackle in the air when a spell was negated. Finally Severus honed in on where the ring was. The wave of Dark Magic emanating from the area was rather unmistakable now that Severus had eliminated some of the warding.

Severus stepped closer to the ring very cautiously and cast some disclosure spells. The curses on the ring were few – and all easily broken, if Severus had wished to. It was obvious that the ring had been placed here soon after Voldemort had killed the Riddle family and created the Horcrux. The curses were mild – Voldemort had not travelled and learned the darker magics as yet.

Severus left the curses as they were – Dumbledore would be expecting them and could deal with them easily. Severus carefully placed his own withering curse, concealing it beneath the others. It would only activate after Albus put it on. The inherent darkness of the Horcrux would hopefully mask its presence.

If Dumbledore found it and avoided it, Severus would have to curse Albus more directly and say it had been a time-delayed curse and hope the Headmaster believed him. Severus backed out of the hut carefully and let some of the wards he hadn't needed to completely dismantle snap back into place. With luck Albus would never know he'd gone inside. Even his footprints he carefully obliterated.

Severus reported back with an air of 'a very put-upon over-worked henchman' who had just completed a very arduous task with several death - defying near misses. Dumbledore twinkled happily - pleased to have the apparition coordinates of the ring's location and an initial scan without having had to do the work himself.

The Headmaster nodded at Severus while looking at a parchment the Severus had noted down his findings on.

Severus grimaced; he supposed that was Dumbledore's way of saying 'your ghastly suffering for the cause has been duly noted'. Albus only really patted him on the head when he was afraid that Severus would refuse the next similar assignment or if Severus had needed to stay in the infirmary for more than two days.

Albus glanced at the clock and out the window – he would have time before it became very dark to get the ring. Now that it was so close he was anxious to get the last Horcrux … and the third Deathly Hallow. He flooed to the Leakey Cauldron and then apparated to the coordinates in front of the Gaunt Hut. In the distance, through the trees, he could make out the outline of a mansion. The sight of it must have fueled Merope's fantasies on a daily basis.

Dumbledore shrugged off Merope's unhappy fate and started disarming the remaining wards on the hut. He was a bit disappointed in the rather elementary curses in the warding and on the ring itself, but as Severus had noted – this had likely been done when Voldemort was rather young, and he had recklessly never returned to update things.

The ring still reeked of dark magic, but Albus was sure that he'd removed all the protections. He levitated the ring into the air and over to him. It hovered in the air – a rather crude gold ring with a black stone set into it. He recognized the Peverell coat of arms incised into the stone. The ring gave off no further warning sparks or hint of further curses and Albus smiled.

Albus quickly injected two drops of the ruinously expensive Basilisk venom into a crack in the stone, and listened with satisfaction to the screaming of the dying Horcrux. It would make a fine tale when he wrote his memoirs … properly embellished, of course.

At last he would be claiming the third Deathly Hallow. At the right time he would reclaim the cloak and then he would be the Master of Death.

Dumbledore reached out and let the ring slip onto his right ring finger. There was an immediate, sharp pain in his hand, moving quickly up the arm. The burning that continued no matter how many counter – curses and finites he shouted told him he was in trouble.

Albus apparated to the Leakey and flooed back to his quarters, ignoring concerned questions from patrons at the pub. He shouted for a house elf and frantically asked for Snape to be brought to him immediately.

Severus was waiting for the summons and quickly controlled his triumphant grin when he was sent for. He donned a concerned look and quickly went to work at limiting the curse to Albus' hand.

"I know of no counter for this curse, but I can limit it, I hope." Severus watched Albus pale in horror with some satisfaction, and worked on the already blackening hand with a sense of glee.

Albus glared at the ring lying on the table, feeling quite betrayed by it.

"I've contained the curse as best I can, for now, it will creep up your arm and eventually migrate into your chest and finally kill a vital organ." Severus said, trying to inject a little regret into it. "You have a month or two, three at best."

Albus frantically cast about – perhaps if he demanded the cloak back? As the Master of Death … perhaps he could put off dying, or trade a Hallow to death to remove the curse? Once Severus had named the curse he'd known there was no hope of the usual spells or even phoenix tears repairing this.

Severus saved him from making a decision, "I have heard of an ancient potion that might reverse this … this is a rare curse – and the potion is equally rare. It is ignored by most because of the rather impossible ingredient it requires …" Albus looked at him in confusion. "… it requires a vial of the elixir of life."

Dumbledore relaxed back. Ah, he could always rely on Severus to know about obscure potions – especially ones that no one else ever heard of.

"It is a good thing I have a Sorcerer's Stone at hand." Albus twinkled. "I'll fetch it tonight."

Severus nodded to Albus and excused himself to go 'ready his private lab'. He allowed himself to smirk in triumph as he got to the dungeons, and even snickered. Albus' doom was at hand, along with Voldemort's.

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A/N – The Groundhog lied! I have six inches of snow outside my door and freezing rain added to it.


	16. Chapter 16

PB16

Disclaimer – The Potterverse belongs to JKR.

Chapter 16

Severus got a good laugh out of Voldemort and a look of admiration from Quirrell when he told them what had happened to Dumbledore … after 'adjusting' the facts a bit.

Voldemort had been angry when he'd heard the Headmaster had retrieved a ring from the old Gaunt Hut. Severus had explained that Albus had been looking for 'a dark artifact' that Voldemort had possessed – in particular a ring that Albus thought had belonged to the Gaunt family that Voldemort had worn to school.

Quirrell had looked a little worried, and the eerie voice from the back of his head muttered uncertainly. However since there was no mention that Albus knew of the Horcruxes, Voldemort seemed willing to accept that "they would get the ring back in the end, so no harm done." Voldemort was troubled about the curse … he, after all did not recall placing it on the ring.

Severus blithely explained away any slight discrepancies. "Dumbledore just wants a jaunty little adventure to but in his memoirs. He had me 'scout around for him' … the lazy old coot. When his back was turned, I added that withering curse to get our little plot going. I will let you know when he's been weakened and placed at your mercy … as we've planned, you'll be able to take over his body and add his magic to your own. With all that added power you'll be unstoppable and you can likely reshape his ugly old carcass to suit you."

Quirrell looked relieved at the thought of no longer having to share his body. The parasite cackled in a manner that made Severus want to throw things in disgust. Had he really ever thought this nonsensical creature capable of leading the wizarding world to glory?

"Yessss, my faithful ssservant." Voldemort hissed out in approval. "With our magic combined together … we will be more powerful than even Merlin ever wasss."

Severus smothered a sneer, and managed to smirk in apparent agreement. He made good his escape while Quirrell and Voldemort whispered and plotted what they would do when they came into all this power.

Severus immediately went to his chamber and pulled the ancient tome of potions out. There were familiar potions in there – most of which were old and outdated - obsolete since the formulas had been improved since the book had been written. However Severus had dug through the discarded grimoire and found some potions that were not in use because of the rare ingredients or that they were so seldom needed.

The ink on the grimoire's pages was faded in areas, which was to Severus' advantage. He quickly flipped to the potion that would counter Albus' curse. There were very few potions that required the Elixir of Life … all of them healing or rejuvenation potions. This one was not only the counter to the curse, but it was easily manipulated to achieve the end that Severus needed. The potion would cause weakness while it was healing – giving the Dark Lord the moments he needed to take over the Headmaster.

Severus grinned as he carefully added to the potion formula; adjusting things so there would be a big surprise for both his soon – to – be – former 'masters'.

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Sirius carefully entered Atrium of the Ministry, disillusioned and keeping to the shadows. Even at the unholy hour of four in the morning he did not want to chance being seen. He'd flooed from the Leakey Cauldron and clutched Moody's leg close, hoping that any security charms did not notice him.

Sirius grinned as he _hovered _the leg up to hang from the wand of the Wizard in the fountain. The wizard had his arm held high and outstretched as if casting a spell. The leg hung by its strap, dangling out of anyone's reach. Lucius and Sirius had spent hours casting every charm and hex that they and Narcissa could think of to make it impossible to remove the leg from the statue in the fountain. Oh, they would break the enchantments, eventually – but it would take all day … maybe two.

Sirius cast a charm to hide the leg until seven in the morning – rush hour in the Atrium. He just wished he could be there … but Rita Skeeter would be and she'd promised Severus to give him a pensieve memory of what happened and Sirius would persuade Rita to let him have a look as well by promising another juicy exclusive.

Sirius left the Atrium to stalk a certain someone at a wizarding spa called Ravendale. Minerva was now no longer Head of Gryffindor … in a fit of pique Severus had casually suggested Dumbledore make Professor Babbling Head of House, just as he'd said to Minerva - and Albus had done so, sure that Minerva would have time to finally corner Sirius Black. Albus was still convinced she'd arranged his escape, therefore she should 'fix this'.

Severus' latest torture for her was to find out where she intended to scout for Black and have Sirius be there, but 'just be leaving' … or pretend to not hear or see her … or shout things about Albus – like that he 'had to have known Sirius had not had a trial' … or mention other infractions that neither Albus or Minerva wanted known.

It was easy for Severus to find out where she was going … she left her heavily noted maps laying all over her desk for Severus to see quite easily as he made his daily trip to toss a few thinly veiled insults at her.

Minerva arrived at the spa just after Sirius arrived and he hid behind some decorative hibiscus bushes. He waited until Minerva had quizzed a few of the workers about possible sightings and then he came out, pulling on his most tragic face and started pleading with the customers lounging outside to protect Harry Potter from the traitor Peter Pettigrew.

Witches and wizards leaped up eagerly. Rita Skeeter had revealed that morning that, indeed, there was no sign of any trial transcripts. A nervous Barty Crouch Sr. had bleated to other reporters that just because Sirius Black hadn't been tried did not mean Sirius Black was innocent … that indeed, all the evidence pointed to him.

Now, Sirius was surrounded by people eager to ask questions. Sirius could see Minerva fighting to get through the crowd and was continually elbowed back. Hexing her way through the crowd would be unwise … two demotions in the school had left her vulnerable – she could be fired quite easily, now, especially since the school year would be at an end in three more months.

Spring break was coming up, and she feared Albus might take that time to completely replace her. It was a heart-breaking thought for her. Less than a year ago she'd have laughed if someone said this would happen.

She pushed at the crowd, trying to even get enough room to cast a spell … but what to cast? If she immobilized him the crowd would insist that he be turned over to Aurors. She needed to take Sirius to Albus so he could be convinced that Albus had done nothing wrong.

Minerva could hear the escapee weeping about how the Headmaster and Barty Crouch Sr. had tossed him into Azkaban without so much as a single question. To Minerva's horror the crowd seemed to be leaning toward believing Black and there were offers of refuge and suggestions for lawyers he could hire.

Sirius wept that he just wanted a fair trial and then escaped just as Dawlish arrived. The Auror was greeted with icy looks and no cooperation. A few spa customers made hateful remarks about the investigations being done. Dawlish slunk away when he saw Black was no longer present – he was unwilling to stay with Moody not backing him.

Minerva went back to the school to report another sighting of Sirius Black where she'd been mere feet away and yet unable to capture the animagus. Albus reacted predictably - eyeing her with suspicion, and ignoring any explanation of why she'd not stupefied and abducted him in front of a huge crowd. She could see that the Headmaster no longer trusted her at all … she might as well start writing up a resume and go looking into the availability of jobs.

Albus finally dismissed her, quite irritated. She was clearly doing all of this on purpose. He would need to replace her by the start of the next year.

At least he could count on Severus … for now. He was still the most obvious fall guy for Harry's death in the future, although if it could be arranged to happen at the Malfoy estate … well, they could be blamed. He shook his head; no it was easiest to do it at the school, where it could arrange it to his satisfaction. Still, nothing could happen until after the Horcruxes were gone … which reminded him, he needed to meet with Severus.

Albus made his way to the hallway with the potions classroom and various labs that the advanced classes used. There was one lab that Severus had for his own use … and there was now one that was heavily warded that Albus would be using. He patted the heavily charmed pocket in his robe that held the Stone.

Severus had the book and several of the ingredients out on the worktable, a cauldron already set up.

"Ah, Headmaster – the potion formula instructions are quite faded … I believe you should copy it down more clearly on new parchment. I would have done it, but you may have difficulty reading my writing … I've been told it is sometimes not clear…" Severus smiled at the Headmaster – and of course if the formula was in the Headmaster's handwriting Severus could say he had no knowledge of what, exactly Albus was doing when the end came.

Albus nodded serenely, wondering if he could claim the potion as his own invention the book was so outdated he was sure that there were very few copies around. It could be a very exciting chapter in his memoirs. He copied quickly and Severus banished the book back to the Malfoy library. No one could say he'd known of it.

Albus looked over at Severus, who apologetically said, "With this potion … it will likely be more effective if the one who needs it also does the making of it … it will likely take a few days …" Severus looked regretful, but truly, he wanted no trace of his magic in the potion.

"Yes, there are some long simmer times … I can put it in stasis here and there, if needed." He was anxious to get the curse lifted … wearing gloves all the time was getting him stared at more than usual, he didn't want anyone to know that the infallible Albus Dumbledore had gotten cursed. There was no rushing a potion, though.

Severus oversaw the work … he wanted to ensure that Albus messed up the potion properly. He brought the students homework and tests to grade while he watched carefully. He needed the potion to do the job he needed.

Severus and Harry snickered together over things when Harry snuck down to see him every evening. Draco was busy deciding what soccer games he wanted to attend and that he could coordinate meeting up with Seamus and Dean at. Ron hesitantly said he could join for one or two and the others welcomed him into the fold, Draco smiling smugly … he'd talked a Weasley into accepting a Malfoy. Harry let Draco know how the plot was progressing and they watched the smug Headmaster with amusement during mealtimes.

Moody was now a laughingstock and was 'taking an extended leave'. He'd tried for hours to get his leg down from the statue … insisting that he be the one to get it. A crowd soon formed and got larger by the moment. His cursing and shouting got louder and more objectionable as time went by. Pretty soon he was incoherent and literally foaming at the mouth. Rita was standing by with a smile and a quick – quotes quill. By the time a squad of horrified ministry Aurors hustled him away the crowd was certain he needed to retire and Rita had enough to horrify her readers.

Severus reassured Voldemort that things were progressing as expected. Voldemort cackled about his plans and Quirrell smirked happily. Severus felt he was dancing on a knife blade, especially when the Prophet ran its next headline.

"_Sirius Black surrenders to Ministry Aurors!"_

There was a huge picture of Sirius, Rita Skeeter by his side, striding into the Atrium surrounded by the most thorough and scary lawyers that money could buy. Madame Bones was on the other side of the Atrium, with a resolute look and had been quoted as saying she intended to _"find the truth no matter who it led to…"_

Severus glanced over at Albus who had turned an interesting shade of puce … the same color as a certain poison as he recalled. Albus stood and glanced at the pale looking McGonagall. She stood along with him and walked toward the floo, stopping by Remus and saying that he would be taking Minerva's classes for a few days.

Remus looked confused, but nodded and went back to reading the paper with horror in his face. Severus grimaced and hoped the wolf was not going to be a permanent fixture. Severus made a quick calculation … the full moon was still two weeks away, things should be settled down by then.

Potions was first that day for Harry and he and Draco produced a perfect calming draught. Severus smiled at them.

"Excellent work … we may need to spill a bit into the Headmaster's lemon drops …" The entire class laughed – even the thickest of them realized that Dumbledore was in deep water.

Transfiguration was next, with the kindly looking groundkeeper there. The class was soon impressed by his knowledge and he seemed able to explain things quite easily. The lecture on animate to inanimate transfiguration was progressing well and he demonstrated how to change a bird into a water goblet. This got him some impressed looks even from Draco.

Remus called for a volunteer and pointed to Ron. Ron eagerly pulled out the squirming, squealing rat and set him on the desk. The rat froze under the shocked glare of the werewolf.

"Peter? … PETER!" Remus shouted. The rat squealed again and leaped off the desk, causing screaming from girls. Remus shot off spells that caught the rat just before reaching the door, changing him back into a small, terrified wizard. The children gaped and Remus quickly petrified Peter and then wrapped him in ropes that he quickly charmed to prevent Peter from changing into his rat form.

Harry and Draco ran to fetch Severus, who arrived at a run to gaze at Peter in shock. Even though he knew Peter was the guilty party and not Sirius he'd thought the wizard long gone to the other side of the world. Apparently he was not that smart.

Quirrell got to the classroom full of chattering children at the same time the Aurors did. Quirrell glared at the rat, his master was angry that Wormtail had been caught. He would have been relieved to have a third minion at the castle … even a sniveling coward like Peter.

Ron tried to explain having a wanted criminal literally in his pocket, but could only say he'd inherited him from his brother, Percy when he'd gotten an owl. Percy was summoned and he'd insisted that he'd found him in their garden ten years before … soon after Pettigrew's well – publicized demise.

"Well, Sirius Black has been exonerated under Veritaserum just this morning … we did not expect to capture Pettigrew a decade after the fact – certainly not this very afternoon." Bones looked over at the ill – looking Remus. "Well done Professor Lupin." Remus managed a sickly smile and nodded.

Pettigrew was hauled away and they were left with a classroom of excited children. Severus shouted for silence and they immediately quieted.

"You just had the privilege of seeing an animagus – a very advanced and difficult transformation that few achieve. Normally you would not hear of it until your NEWTs lectures, but perhaps Professor Lupin could be prevailed on to explain it to you?" Severus gave Remus a 'pull yourself together' glare and Remus nodded in relief. The students were now silent and looking at him eagerly. Severus left as Remus began the new lecture … on animagi.

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Albus and Minerva reached the ministry and were turned away from the interrogation rooms with very little politeness. Minerva sat at an Auror's desk, stubbornly refusing to leave before seeing Sirius Black, even if she had to wait a week.

Albus decided to clean up some loose ends. He'd been planning this for days and felt now was the time before anything else fell apart. Albus got Dawlish alone and handed him some scrolls and a Gringotts key. It was a new ID, a small farm in Canada and enough gold to never work again if he wasn't stupid. Dawlish ran for the floo in relief and didn't even bother to stop at his apartment.

Albus got into the St Mungo's room that Mad-eye had been confined to after heavy sedation. Albus was quite saddened to have to put down his favorite dog of war. Mad-eye could always be counted on, but now … Black had managed to quite unhinge him. Albus handed Mad-eye a flask with a smile and a wink. Mad-eye grinned and took a long drink.

It hadn't been easy to find potions that didn't interact with alcohol, especially the potions needed to make Mad-eye permanently insane and unable to remember anything with certainty. The old Auror seemed to know, at the last minute what Albus was doing. Albus flinched a little at the betrayed look in his old friend's eyes. They had always been of the same mind in regards to Slytherins and other pureblood snobs … dark, every one of them. However Mad-eye was now a liability and if he was in his right mind he would agree with Albus.

Albus waved a sleeping spell over Mad-eye; he would sleep for eight hours – long enough for any trace of the potions to leave his body. As long as no one check him for anything, they would merely think Mad-eye's mental state had deteriorated – something that would surprise no one.

Barty Crouch Sr was a loose end he could not get to, luckily he had never given Barty a direct order. Albus had merely mentioned it was a shame to waste valuable court time on a traitor like Black. At worst he might had to sorrowfully say that he was sorry that his friend had taken him so literally.

He returned to the Ministry Law Enforcement offices in time to find out the not only had Black been cleared, but Peter Pettigrew had been apprehended at Hogwarts, no less.

He could hear Skeeter nearby, whispering "…wizarding world's children bunking with a murderer and traitor for years with Headmaster Dumbledore oblivious to this danger …"

Dumbledore left quickly before Rita could ask for a quote, dragging Minerva with him. He needed to bandage up his image again. He would need to go after Voldemort now instead of later. A nice confrontation in front of the school, perhaps 'saving the Hogwarts students' and driving off the Dark Wizard would be just the thing. Voldemort could not be killed yet since (as far as he knew) only two of his Horcruxes had been destroyed. That was fine … with Voldemort unmasked; the wizarding world won't care what accusations were being leveled at him.

As for Pettigrew … well, Minerva had been Head of Gryffindor and an 'expert' on Animagi, she **should** take the blame for overlooking an animagus that was right under her nose … she was easiest to throw under the bus – he'd intended to replace her anyway.

He barely heard Minerva's questions and protests, leaving her and heading for his private lab. He sent an elf for Severus and stared at the Potions formula and took the glove off his cursed hand. The black withering was past the wrist, now. He needed to complete this and very soon.

With luck, if Sirius blamed Barty and Mad-eye, along with Dawlish for his incarceration – they had been the arresting Aurors – he could still regain Sirius' trust. He would need to ensure that Minerva kept silent as well. He sighed, he hoped she did not make it necessary to do anything … drastic.

Severus arrived and took in Albus' determined look and almost grinned.

The time for retribution was near.

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A/N – Only a couple chapters left!


	17. Chapter 17

Petunia's Boys

Disclaimer – I own none of it, it belongs to JKR.

Chapter 17

Harry twirled his favorite never-out quill between his fingers while skimming through one of his Herbology books. He had several extra reference books that both Narcissa and Severus had said would give him some extra information for essays that was sure to get him higher marks.

He was having a difficult time caring if Nightshade grown in the wild would make certain poisons more lethal than greenhouse plants. The book he was perusing was being coy with the answer, giving so many maybes and exceptions to the rule that the information was essentially useless. He hated to admit it, but the reference book by Mae Campion was only rarely worth the trouble to read.

Dean and Seamus were discussing an upcoming Quidditch match that should occur during spring break in low tones to avoid annoying Madam Pince. They hoped to arrange to gather a bunch of friends to meet there. Hermione was grilling Draco, who was sitting across from her, on some wizarding customs. Draco was a little flattered that she had decided to truly learn about her new world and that she'd decided he was the best resource.

Lavender and Pavarti were flanking Hermione, shamelessly cheating off her paper. Hermione had protested at first when they had started doing that, but decided that if it meant they treated her as one of them, it was worth it. Draco's pragmatic outlook on things was rubbing off on her, and he'd said that if her roommates wanted to cheat themselves out of a proper education, that was their problem. It was nice to be treated a bit better in the dorms and she had seized that excuse Draco had offered with both hands.

Hermione had given up monitoring everyone else's study habits and now badgered other muggleborns and half-bloods into learning more about the customs and traditions of 'the world they now occupied' instead. Draco wearily listened to more questions about how winter solstice rituals varied from region to region and what did he think the slight differences were important or not? He'd created a monster, he was sure.

A glistening doe patronus galloped through the library, trotting up to Harry with a toss of her head. The first years were awestruck, but started giggling when Professor Snape's voice came out of the very feminine doe's mouth. "Potter, NOW!" rang out in commanding tones and then the patronus evaporated into sparkles.

The entire library turned to look at Harry, including an angry looking Irma Pince.

Harry hesitated and felt his eye twitch just once. He sighed; he'd just known that Lucius' problem was contagious. He was going to owl him about this.

"Um, I think that Professor Snape is telling me I'm late for a detention …" Harry managed a sheepish smile. "… I forgot …" Draco smirked at him, guessing the truth.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but remained silent, as hounding others about their studies, homework and detentions was not her concern and did not teach others to be responsible for themselves according to Draco.

Harry's explanation seemed to satisfy everyone and Harry slunk out of the library, and then ran to the dungeons. Soon there would be justice for his parents. He tossed his bookbag into Severus's office and tossed the invisibility cloak over himself. They had planned everything as closely as they could. Much was still left to chance, but he and Severus had done their best.

Harry entered the lab quietly and then made a faint meowing noise … their signal. Severus appeared to look at the hallway while Albus sweated and frowned. "… a kneazle …it's nothing." Severus said dismissively.

Harry crept forward as Severus pointed to the pickled Prussian porcupine pus pockets and said they must absolutely be pounded until they were liquefied. Albus bent to the work, not seeing the Sorcerer's Stone disappear and another red stone take its place. It looked identical, but would vanish in a few hours.

Harry silently made his way back to Severus' office and said "Dobby" in a strong voice. One of the Malfoy's house elves that had been sent to work in the Dower house that had been given to the Dursley's and Harry, Dobby was quite cheerfully devoted to Harry's every whim. Calling Dobby to Hogwarts was relatively easy.

Harry whispered instructions to Dobby after casting a silencing charm. It was imperative that no one know where the stone went … even Severus and Lucius.

While making this part of the plan Severus had grimaced and lowered his eyes in discomfort. _"The Sorcerer's Stone is a great temptation … to anyone. To some it promises great wealth, to others the potions you can make are amazing, and of course everyone would like the elixir of life. Hide the stone and tell no one – not even Lucius or I until this madness is finished and then we will return it to Flamel."_

Severus had obviously been unhappy at having to admit that there was any temptation he felt he might not be able to resist. Harry had patted his shoulder and tried to reassure him. _"I'm pretty sure that everyone has one or two things that would have a hard time saying no to. It just means that you're human."_

Severus had smiled at him ruefully, hearing a mix of Lily's understanding and kindness along with Petunia's realistic outlook on life. The mischievous grin Harry had given him at the end was an echo of James' … but the old anger that would have flared at the sight of that grin in was now conspicuous by its absence.

Now Harry smiled as Dobby popped away and covered back up with the invisibility cloak. Severus had told him to go back to the tower after sending off the stone, but Harry had every intention of not just _hearing_ about the justice to be exacted from Dumbledore and Voldemort, he wanted to _see_ it.

Harry crept down the hall, concentrating on the voices coming from the potions lab where Severus was coaching Dumbledore through the final steps of the potion. He listened intently as the potion was poured into a goblet and waited breathlessly as the Headmaster drank it.

It was done, at last.

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Severus watched tensely as the soft footsteps crept to the Stone and made the switch after alerting him with the 'meow' that Severus had said was a kneazle. Albus was too intent to do more than shrug and continue working.

Severus eyed the vial of Elixir of Life that Albus had made up. It was still mostly full. Albus had only needed a small amount for the potion. This might be useful, he thought. He didn't dare place the Stone within his own reach, but a vial of the Elixir. He might trust himself with that.

While Albus sweated over the final stirring of the cauldron Severus tapped a ring on his finger, alerting Quirrell that "it was time…"

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Quirrell and Voldemort felt the summons and sprang up, eager to claim a new and powerful body for the restless spirit the Dark Lord had become. Quirrell cast a disillusionment charm on himself along with the happily muttering spirit lurking on the back of his head and crept through the hallways carefully. They did not want anything to go wrong at this point.

He was nearly to the lab where Albus and Severus were finishing up the potion when Quirrell heard a slight noise. He froze and Voldemort ceased crowing about their upcoming success. He could see nothing, but he knew he'd heard footsteps ahead of him.

With all the students streaming through the hallways, tracking dirt and the constant dampness in most of the dungeon area made the hallways there muddy. Attempting to keep them clean was a constant battle for house elves and Filch. Quirrell watched carefully and saw footprints appear in areas of dried mud. He kept close watch while listening to Albus congratulate himself on his successful brewing. Both Quirrell and the footprints came closer to the doorway while Albus lifted the steaming goblet in a toast – presumably to himself.

Quirrell and his invisible companion watched as Albus downed the brew, with Severus looking at the Headmaster with the intent look a lion might give an approaching gazelle.

The Headmaster smiled and held up his hand to watch the withering and blackening reverse itself and turn back into healthy tissue and skin. The Headmaster was grinning in triumph for a moment and then paled and sank to his knees, clutching the table in distress.

Quirrell strode forward, dropping the disillusionment and grabbed at the area where he knew someone was hiding, shoving the hidden wizard into the lab and tearing the invisibility cloak off a shocked Harry Potter. Severus stepped forward in alarm, but quickly hid the reaction and just smirked at Harry and quickly distracted Quirrell and Voldemort.

"Quickly, my Lord. The weakness may only last a few moments …"Severus said anxiously.

Quirrell and the Dark Lord immediately focused on the shocked Headmaster. "Severus …?" Dumbledore gasped, stunned that the good soldier that he was so sure was securely tied to his cause and under his thumb was working against him.

A dark vaguely human – shaped cloud emerged from Quirrell and enveloped the protesting Dumbledore and sank into him. There was a struggle as the Headmaster tried to throw the Dark Lord off, but eventually the watching wizards could see Albus' eyes fill with red surrounding the twinkling blue.

To Quirrell's shock, though, it didn't seem to be a clear win.

"Get out, you filthy Dark Wizard …!" "No, I'm evicting you, you old has – been …"

The argument took place in two very different voices. Severus frowned, he wasn't sure this was the way it was supposed to go. Harry watched, fascinated. He was sure that the confusing back and forth conversation between the two wizards occupying Dumbledore's body could give the Weasley twins a lesson in baffling their listeners.

Quirrell watched uncertainly and said, "Master …? Maybe you should take over someone else?"

Severus smirked and answered that question. "Unfortunately the potion binds the two of you together permanently." Severus watched the wizard, who was now a duplex instead of a single unit look even more horrified and struggle to his feet. "… and by the way – the potion also will drain all your magic and shatter your core." Severus looked into eyes of the soon to be magic-less wizard and smirked. "… _Sorry_." He said in a mockingly apologetic tone.

Quirrell managed to bleat out a "… Master?" Clearly hoping for guidance.

Dumblemort's eyes were on Severus, though. "You're going to fix this, you backstabbing Death Eater!" Albus' voice shrieked.

"No … can't … sorry." Severus sneered out and aimed his wand at him.

Dumblemort's eyes drifted to the still nearly full vial of Elixir of Life and the Philosopher's Stone. Severus grabbed the vial and pretended to be horrified when Dumblemort snatched the Stone.

"You'll never find a cure in time to save your magic." Severus said in warning.

"I was quite good at Potions myself.", Albus' voice sneered.

"And I know where to do the brewing. We can get to the Chamber of Secrets." Voldemort's voice hissed.

"Ha! … I knew you were the guilty one and not Hagrid." Albus' voice said in triumph.

"Focus, you old fool …" Voldemort's voice shot back in exasperation. "I can see the magic leaking out of us even now …"

Dumblemort seemed to be concentrating on something the others couldn't see and then focused on Severus in renewed fury. "You thought our magic would drain quickly, didn't you?" Albus' voice came at him, but with hissing undertones. Severus shifted his feet, this was not going right. "Well, the two of us are the most powerful wizards in quite some time - I can see that our magic is draining, but not all that quickly. I think we have a few days before our combined magic is gone."

Dumblemort's eyes shifted to Harry, who had been inching his way over to Severus. He really wished he'd gone to the tower and settled for watching all this in Severus' pensieve, later. Dumblemort drew Albus' wand and shouted. "Get the boy!" to Quirrell, who sprang into action, visibly relieved to finally be given an order.

Severus flew to Harry's defense, but as the spells flew he knew he was no match for what was essentially a three on one battle, especially when the one wizard had both Voldemort and Dumbledore's combined magic. Luckily Dumblemort was just looking to escape with Harry and the Stone. Harry was dragged away after being disarmed and Severus desperately tried to get past Quirrell to stop them.

Severus finally resorted to an old favorite spell and shouted "_Sectumsempra_!" at Quirrell, leaving the wizard in a bloody heap as he tried to follow Dumblemort and Harry.

Severus could hear Harry's shouts and followed the voice to a girl's bathroom on the second floor. An opening in the wall was slowly closing as he entered and he desperately cast spells to stop it. It took several tries, but at last it creaked to a halt, leaving an opening about a foot wide.

Severus took a deep breath and muffled a scream of anger. Why had Harry come back to the lab? He could have let Dumblemort run off and slowly leak magic until he was a squib, but now the magic - leaking wizard had Harry. He could trade the boy to the Ministry for a cure, or just kill him in revenge.

He shook his head. Harry was usually so sensible, but he should have guessed the boy would want to watch his parent's killer defeated in person.

But what to do now?

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A/N- I realized this is very short, but I wanted to get something out to you. I had to take a break due to a death in the family, but writing should get quicker if all goes well.


	18. Chapter 18

PB18

Disclaimer – Not mine, it all belongs to JKR, just having fun.

Chapter 18

Harry did his best to slow Dumblemort as he was hauled through the hallways, yelling for help and shouting insults at his captor. He'd quieted for a few moments as the Chamber of Secrets was opened.

"Stop that hissing you evil Slytherin!" Albus' voice howled in fury at Voldemort using his body to produce Parseltongue to open the chamber.

"Well, how else are we to get down there, if I don't tell it to open?" Voldemort answer in exasperation. It was really aggravating to have to be the reasonable one of the two occupying this body. However, he wanted to survive and he obviously couldn't count on Dumbledore to hold it together.

Dumbledore's voice mumbled an unhappy and rather incoherent reply. The once great wizards held Harry's upper arm in a vise-like grip, dragging him down a long, steep tunnel. Harry would have found the slide down a little exciting and perhaps fun if he hadn't needed to fear Dumblemort's wrath when the full truth of the situation was revealed. Harry was sure the Stone was going to evaporate within an hour or two.

He hoped that the time the Stone still seemed to exist bought any rescuers time to extricate him. He was ready to face even Snape's worst temper tantrum as long as he got rescued. He desperately wished he'd settled for a pensieve memory of Voldemort and Dumbledore's defeat.

Harry looked over at Dumblemort, who was ranting in Albus' voice, "Look at this snakeskin! Whatever shed this was at least 60 feet long." Albus snarled, but with a light of triumph in his eyes. "It's proof!, Proof that Salazar Slytherin was the very worst of Dark Wizards. To hide such a monster in a school with no thought to the safety of children …"

"Oh, stuff it, old man." Voldemort sneered as he dragged Harry behind them through the tunnels. They came to a large iron door with snakes encircling the door and locking it tight. A few hisses and the snakes unlocked the door and it swung open.

"Whoa … very cool." Harry breathed, making Dumblemort smirk a little. Voldemort was rather proud of his ancestor's accomplishments. Harry's somewhat breathless admiration increased a thousand-fold as they entered a cavernous chamber with giant snakes lining the walls and an enormous statue on the other side of a pool of water that shimmered at the far end of the chamber. For a few minutes Harry was distracted by the vast space being slowly revealed as the sconces that were held by the enormous snake statues lit in response to wizards entering the chamber.

"We need to start on the antidote immediately." Albus' voice was urgent and at least attempting to be authoritative.

"We need to make sure we are secure." Voldemort's voice answered, frowning. "I should awaken the basilisk to guard us."

"Nonsense, once we entered, the entrance was reclosing – we saw that. No one can re-open it once it closes. We are quite safe here." Albus spoke rather forcefully.

Harry rolled his eyes. He might only be eleven, but even he knew that trying to order Voldemort around was a study in futility. He would do the opposite just to spite Dumbledore. Unless, of course, it was definitely in his best interest and he could make it look like his own idea.

"Well, I found an Alchemy lab that appeared to also have been used for potions down here. We can get set up and start brewing a base." Voldemort answered in a menacing hiss that likely would have made his Death Eaters wet themselves. Maybe they did need to brew the antidote right away but he intended to have his way regarding the basilisk as well. "Then we need to get the basilisk out. Once we have the antidote we can turn the beast loose. They'll be too busy saving students and themselves from it to look for us."

Dumblemort tilted his head to the side; both wizards were obviously examining what each other had to say. It was a very creepy look, Harry thought. It was equally scary to note that the pair of arch – enemies had been able to find a way to work together very quickly even with the constant arguing.

Dumblemort suddenly straightened and nodded. "Very well, the antidote and then the basilisk. We'll escape during the chaos and make a getaway to one of the houses I know of and ward it well." Albus' voice said firmly.

"Yes, and we have the stone to not only find an antidote, but a way out of our predicament of having to share a space. It will also provide a lot of gold to aid us. Do you think we still need the 'Boy Who Lived' with us?" Voldemort's voice sneered hatefully.

Dumblemort's cold eyes looked Harry over, making him shrink a little. He still met the gaze with defiance, but he wasn't holding out hope for mercy from either of the wizards.

"Yes." Albus' voice was still cold, but the look in his eyes was calculating. "To separate we will need another body for you to occupy and Mr Potter here has a lot of magic."

"But he's a child!" Voldemort started to whine, and then stopped. "However, once I take Potter over, I can say you were protecting me from Snape and Quirrell – than they were going to use me in a dark ritual. We just need to do an unbreakable vow to never reveal the truth and you will be able to have your place back in wizarding society and I'll have in impeccable new identity to start off with."

Harry was horrified. There was no way he could let these two get turned back loose, Albus with his reputation possibly restored at Severus' expense and Voldemort getting a fresh chance at taking over the world using Harry's body and magic.

Dumblemort cackled a terrible laugh, a mix of Albus' chuckle and Voldemort's evil chortle and grabbed Harry's arm to drag him into a nearby antechamber. The door was hidden, it's outline lost in the intricate designs etched into the walls.

The room was large with unidentifiable objects sitting on shelves and worktables. The walls were lined with large jars with old labels peeling off them. There were some barrels and a shelf of books. Harry sincerely hoped nothing was still usable, but it did seem the stasis or stability charms on the room might still be in effect. He supposed that Salazar might have been clever enough to keep things good ever for a thousand years.

Dumblemort slapped the Sorcerer's Stone down on the worktable and Albus and Voldemort started arguing about the best way to counteract the potion that had put them in this fix. Voldemort had been in on at least part of Severus' plans so he knew where to start. Harry edged as close to the door of the anteroom as possible and sat on the floor, hoping for a chance to dash to freedom. An hour or so passed and Dumblemort had a cauldron bubbling as they tried to figure out a counter to a potion they only knew part of the formula to.

Dumblemort lay both Albus' and Harry's wands down on the table, to Harry's relief. A few non-verbal accio's with his left hand when Dumblemort had his back turned, reaching for a jar, and his wand was back in his sleeve – holster.

Harry sweated and hoped Severus and whoever he roped into assisting arrived soon. To his shock a tiger cat slunk in and crouched under a small table next to him. She glared hatefully at Harry, making him wonder if she was going to rescue him or was there to help chop him up for basilisk bait. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a raven wing in and land on a snake statue's head just outside the room's doorway.

Harry sighed in relief. At last, the troops had arrived.

At that moment the Sorcerer's Stone disappeared in a rather big puff of sparkling red dust. Severus and Lucius had decided to be a little dramatic with the stone's departure. Harry was wishing they hadn't decided on that, since he was now here to endure the wrath of two very hostile wizards.

Minerva watched Albus with angry horror. She had arrived back in the castle to a scene of chaos. Aurors milled around trying to secure the school while Severus and Lucius stood at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and shouted at Madame Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour. Cornelius Fudge stood nearby, wringing his hands and whispering loudly to a pair of aides next to him.

Minerva had transformed and crept closer, listening intently and had been outraged at what she had heard. Albus had been cursed … had found what he'd thought was a cure … the formula was written in his own hand … the remains of the potion in the cauldron had nothing but Albus' magic in it. Now Professor Quirrell was dead, Albus was possessed by Voldemort and Harry Potter had been dragged by the possessed Headmaster into the mythical Chamber of Secrets.

She had glared at Snape; she just knew that somehow he was to blame, though just how she did not know.

Minerva had wanted for a bit, until most of the Aurors had gone to secure the students in their dorms and to set guards. Cornelius went to the great hall to plan, hoping that if the end was bad that it could all be thrown on Dumbledore's shoulders. The rest were distracted long enough that she made it to the entrance of the chamber before she was noticed. She had ignored the shouting and made her way down to the chamber. She wasn't sure what she would do, but there had to be some reasonable explanation for all this.

Severus perched uncomfortably on the snake – head statue with its torch. He glared at Minerva but he was a little grateful. Seeing her leap through the entrance had made him sigh in relief at the obvious answer to the problem. Of course – a small animagus could get through the narrow opening to the chamber.

Severus had then popped into a Raven and swooped through the opening. He'd exchanged a glance with Lucius, who had nodded, understanding the Severus was going to rescue Harry if at all possible. Now Severus watched the scene, hoping for a few moments where snatching the boy would be possible.

Then the stone made its spectacular disappearance and Severus' heart clenched in fear at Dumblemort's look of enraged bewilderment. The "What the …?!" that the wizard yelled did not bode well since he immediately looked over at Harry in suspicion. Harry's cringe and look of guilt didn't help.

Albus' voice was a bit high-pitched as he rained a storm of vitriol down on Harry. The insults didn't bother Harry … but he was a bit worried about the hexes sure to follow when the wizard ran out foul language.

While Albus screamed abuse Voldemort thought swiftly. They hadn't the time to truly research an antidote, they had been counting on the sheer strength of the healing power of the elixir of life to fix whatever had been done.

Voldemort was sure that Severus knew how to fix this. Even if he didn't have an antidote made up, he likely had figured out how to counter the potion Albus had made. Severus couldn't possibly have watched Albus brewing without at least part of his mind mulling over how to fix the problem even if he had never expected to brew the antidote. Severus' mind was the sort to leap on a problem whether he wanted it to or not. They needed to fix this quickly. Negotiating with Severus was now very necessary.

Voldemort interrupted Albus' diatribe. "We need Severus to make the antidote. Call that bird of yours to send a message for us."

"Fawkes?" Albus asked uncertainly while his brain caught up with Voldemort's plan. "Ah, yes. Fawkes!" Albus called imperiously.

Fawkes burst into the chamber in a gust of flames, and looked around with a squawk of astonished disapproval. Feathers fluffed out and sparks dripped off the plumes. Then Fawkes took a good look at Dumblemort and squeaked out an unhappy trill. He'd known that Albus was slipping at bit, his aura getting a little greyer and murkier every year. He didn't comprehend all the human machinations – the messing about with the sorting hat, the double – dealing here and there. All he understood was that Albus was no longer the young man he had bonded with.

In fact, Albus was no longer alone in that aging body and the other being in the body with Albus couldn't get much darker. Yes, it was time to throw in the proverbial towel and perhaps take a long vacation. He would miss Hogwarts, he'd been the familiar of various teachers and Headmasters or Headmistresses over the centuries with only a few decades here and there away from the castle.

Fawkes shifted away from Dumblemort, who was now trying to give him a note, "To take to Severus, immediately." The sparks coming off the phoenix increased but the wizards didn't seem to take the hint. Finally Fawkes simply disappeared in a cloud of flames, although he merely went into the larger chamber to sulk and plan where to take that extended vacation … Bora Bora was nice this time of year, he thought.

Albus yelled in frustration. Nothing was going right. Voldemort fumed and made plans to kill that damn phoenix as soon as he could. Time was running out, he could feel it. Oh, the magic would last another day, maybe two; but the levels they would need to cow the wizarding world into submission would be gone in a few hours, after that he would slowly sink through the ranks of power until he was a squib.

Albus drew out his wand and turned toward Harry, causing Minerva to make her move. She'd heard enough to know that Albus was beyond redeeming, now. If he was planning to sacrifice a prized Gryffindor like Harry Potter – the son of two favorite Gryffindors, and to do it to resurrect Voldemort to save his own hide. Well, there was no way to justify him further, though she had struggled to find a way to excuse what she was seeing before her very eyes.

Dumblemort stopped in surprise as Minerva appeared in front of him. "Minerva …?" Albus said hesitantly, but he realized at the looked of disgusted disappointment on her face, that she knew too much. He barely had the first syllable of an _Obliviate _pronounced when she threw up a shield and followed it up with a rather painful stinging hex.

Dumblemort had an astonished look on his face for a moment. Minerva had never, ever crossed him before the fiasco with Black's escape and he was still bewildered that she would hex him for trying to _obliviate_ her. Surely she realized he **had** to do that?

Voldemort broke in then. He'd been stunned at Albus' actions, or rather their feebleness. "You old moron! Did you forget your anti-senility potion? _**Obliviate? **_That was the only spell to come to mind?" Red was bleeding into the wizard's eyes, even more than previously. Albus was clearly losing the battle for dominance.

The wizard aimed his wand at Minerva, a far more sinister smile on his face. "Well, well. Minnie … how very _interesting_ to renew our acquaintance in this manner."

Minerva froze, this was so much worse. Seeing Albus turning into the only wizard she hated even more than Snape.

Harry had started inching back through the door the moment Minerva had placed herself in front of him. As soon as he cleared the doorway he stood and started running toward the tunnels. Severus swooped after him and Harry spared a glance and asked, "Didn't anyone else come?" Severus managed to shake his head even well flying and Harry groaned and ran faster … but not fast enough.

A wall of flame erupted at the tunnel entrance, stopping Harry in his tracks. He turned to meet the malice in Dumblemort's eyes. Harry had almost made it, but almost just doesn't count in battles.

Severus popped back into a wizard and listened with dread as Dumblemort chanted in parseltongue and a very large basilisk slid out of the tunnel that opened in the statue of Salazar. Minerva scuttled out and got between Severus and Harry and Dumblemort.

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Lucius paced in front of the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. This was supposed to have been simple – trap Albus and Voldemort in one body and destroy their magic. Now they had a wizard that would not run out of magic 'for a day or two', a kidnapped 'Boy Who Lived' and a mythical chamber of one of the Founders.

A brace of Unspeakable had been fetched by the Minister, in a burst of unusual bravado, and they were trying to persuade the entrance to open far enough for a human body to get through it. Cornelius was hopeful the aid in Harry Potter's rescue, and he certainly did not want the press to decide that he'd been lax.

Professor McGonagall's display as an animagus and Deputy Headmaster Snape's following her into the Chamber had made them hopeful that rescue in a timely manner was possible. Sirius Black was brought by Kingsley Shacklebolt – the news of some sort of horrible events at Hogwarts had not stayed secret for long. Not when a group of Unspeakables had left like that. That hadn't happened in decades.

Lucius updated Sirius on events and he had immediately turned into his dog form and leaped for the entrance. Unfortunately he had been very well fed for the past few months and had regained a very healthy weight. In his dog form he might even have been called 'chubby'. At any rate he became firmly wedged in the entrance, about half-way through.

Work paused while everyone gaped at the very stuck Grim. Lucius' eye had started twitching erratically since their plans had gone pear – shaped; now it felt like the entire side of his face was spasming. Kingsley sighed and spoke softly to Madame Bones, who nodded and waved a hand toward Sirius' backside.

Kingsley transformed into a rather beautiful lynx and sauntered over to the Grim's hindquarters and leaped over the Grim, used Sirius' head as a springboard and dove down into the chamber. Sirius barked at the lynx in annoyance. Imagine, leaving him stuck here, and going on into the Chamber.

He was soon distracted by Lucius and Madame Bones yanking on him to get him loose. He finally popped out of the entrance with a painful yelp, landing on a curvaceous Auror who he was soon to start dating, though he did not know that yet.

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Severus watched in horror as the basilisk emerged and Voldemort's voice gave the creature orders in Parseltongue. They had known their plans had areas that were not fool-proof, but this disaster was really over the top as far as bad luck was concerned.

Dumblemort grinned cruelly at the witch and two wizards. "The basilisk is quite hungry; I imagine the three of you will be a tasty snack …"

The basilisk slithered forward, eyeing the food that 'master' was offering. The basilisk had always preferred it when pigs or cattle were pushed into the chamber for a meal, but the last meal the basilisk could remember was centuries ago. Rats, possums, a few acromantula and the like had sustained the creature the few times it had awakened. Magical hibernation was really the only reason it still lived.

Minerva glared at the snake, a manifestation of everything Slytherin that she hated with a passion. She aimed a cutting spell at the snake's left eye, and repeated it over and over until she it had been blinded, at least on that side. She kept to that side circling as she cast spells, forcing it to circle as well.

Severus watched the battle and decided to leave Minerva to it. He now needed to concentrate on Dumblemort. "Give me the antidote and I'll let you and the whelp go." Voldemort's voice wheedled, trying to sound sincere.

Relieved to not have to be polite, Severus simply said, "You're a lying has-been … both of you.", and sent a strong _Reducto_ at the wizard who waved the spell away and returned fire.

The duel between the wizards was fierce but hampered by Dumblemort having to dodge the basilisk's coils and occasional lunges that came near him. Severus had to ensure the Harry stayed behind him. Harry wanted to cooperate, but now and then he shot a spell out past Severus' voluminous cloak.

Harry stuck Dumblemort's feet to the floor briefly, making him crash to his hands and knees. A Rictusempra made the wizard break out in rather unnerving giggles for a few seconds. Small spells, but they broke the wizard's concentration and ruined any rhythm he might have had to his aggressive attack.

The battle raged for a time and Dumblemort started to sweat and look worried. "You need to stop …" Albus' voice pleaded.

"We need to win, coward …" Voldemort answered.

"Our magic is depleting. It should have lasted for days, but you're using it all up … and it's not going to regenerate …" Albus pleaded again.

Dumblemort truly looked fearful, then and Severus redoubled his effort. He cast _Sectumsempra_ after _Sectumsempra_ at the wizard, forcing him to use his strongest shield to block.

At that moment Minerva finally got the shot she had been aiming for. She shot the strongest spear curse into the basilisk's wide – open maw, piercing the soft pallet and going deep into the brain. The snake contorted in agony and managed to achieve its revenge before dying. The basilisk's right eye, the one still intact, swept across the slick marble floor and caught Minerva in its fatal gaze long enough to freeze her in death before gasping its last breath.

All three (or four) wizards stopped long enough to gaze at the figure of Minerva, arm upraised. Looking like she was posing for statue, Severus thought unkindly. Still, she had fought a basilisk; he supposed she deserved a few accolades when this was all over.

Dumblemort barely had time to squawk in outrage over his snake's demise before the wall of fire abruptly dropped and Kingsley Shacklebolt strode over the ashes, looking imposing and very competent. He raised his wand, adding his own threat to Severus'.

"Lay down your wand and surrender to the Ministry." Kingsley sounded very official and threatening.

Voldemort sneered and screamed "Avada Kedavra!" at Severus, who quailed and shoved Harry firmly behind him where no part of the spell could touch him.

Kingsley watched the horrible green light flash … and then stop only half-way to Severus, the spell simply fizzled out.

Severus' knees nearly buckled in relief and he cast a rather over-powered _Expelliarmus_ and snatched Albus' wand out of the air and pocketed it. A pitifully sobbing Dumblemort was led through the tunnels. Apparently both Albus and Voldemort were rather peeved at the state of their magic, or lack thereof.

Severus found a ladder along one side of the tunnel up to the entrance and Harry scrambled up, hissing open half-way up so no one except Severus heard him.

The Unspeakables cheered in delight, believing they had finally undone Salazar Slytherin's spellwork. Harry, Severus, Kingsley and Dumblemort climbed out, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, especially Lucius, whose face and eye finally stopped twitching. He'd noticed several Wizengamot and School Governors staring at him.

Severus quickly got rid of almost all the Aurors and Unspeakables by mentioning a petrified Minerva, a basilisk and Salazar Slytherin's hidden lab. He soon had Dumblemort secured in a well-padded cell in the Hogwarts hospital. It was usually only occupied by high-strung students just before or after NEWTs. Head Mindhealer Ailsa took charge of the mumbling and sobbing wizard, promising a large number of calming draughts and perhaps and dreamless sleep.

Lucius and Severus watched him leave with satisfaction and then turned to the remaining wizards and witches. All that was needed was the right explanation and they were home-free. Scrimgeour and Madame Bones already looked a bit skeptical, but one was a Slytherin and the other was naturally astute. Cornelius merely looked hopeful that they could clear this all so that the voting public would be satisfied.

"Perhaps we should adjourn to the Headmaster's office?" Severus said smoothly and led them to the circular stair, leading Harry gently along with them. The skeptical might take the 'explanation' better from Harry Potter than them.

They would soon see, Severus mused.

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A/N – The RL Christmas dragon finally looked away long enough for me to shove this chapter by him.


	19. Chapter 19

PB19

Disclaimer – I own nothing in the Harry Potter world, we're just going on a little trip.

Chapter 19

Severus led the way up the staircase, the gargoyle leaping out of the way without Severus saying a word. Severus relaxed minutely, knowing this meant that Hogwarts had transferred its loyalty to its new Headmaster - Severus.

Good, now that Albus was 'no longer himself and magic-less' and likely to stay that way, Hogwarts had accepted Severus without a single protest. Severus had felt the wards and other magics associated with the Headmaster's position pass to him the moment that Dumblemort's spell had failed, but he'd not been sure whether there was more involved to taking complete control or not.

The loss of Hogwart's magic had likely been the breaking point for Albus, Severus had thought with a smug smile.

Severus waved everyone into the puffy chairs Albus had always preferred and went to the desk and opened a thin top drawer. "Anyone need a drink? There seems to be a rather extensive bar in Albus' quill and ink drawer …" Severus pulled a very tall bottle of scotch out of the 3-inch deep drawer.

Harry giggled while Amelia, Kingsley and Rufus smiled slightly and murmured 'on duty, sorry'. Lucius sniffed and waved a negligent hand. "It's that blended crap … proof positive that the old man was crazy." Cornelius echoed Lucius, likely out of nervousness. Severus smiled and put the bottle back, calling for a house elf to bring tea.

Severus took a seat with the others, feeling that occupying the Headmaster's desk would invite too many of the wrong questions.

"Well, does anyone know exactly what happened?" Rufus got straight to the point with a nod from Madame Bones. Rufus lay the remnants of Albus' potion and the recipe in Albus' writing down on the table in the center of the group of chairs.

Good, Severus thought, he wouldn't have to explain _everything._

"I know some of it … though Albus kept so very many things to himself." Severus sighed, and received grimacing nods from everyone else in the room – even a few portraits. "Albus, quite simply, had overworked himself for decades, to the point of near madness at times. He was on the Wizengamot – was sometimes its head wizard, was Chief Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Headmaster of the premier British wizarding school. Any one of those positions was a full time job, yet he did them all for, as I said, decades."

The others nodded, frowning. "He is only one hundred and ten … yet he looks closer to the two century mark." They nodded again at Severus' statements. "He's been making mistakes and the need to step down from the Wizengamot showed that to him, I think. He said that he knew that 'He Who Must Not Be Named' was going to return and he was determined to stop him. He went on a search for Dark artifacts that were rumored to have been used by him and destroy them …" More nods as well as anxious looks from the Aurors and Fudge. "He found a few, and one was badly cursed … a withering curse that would kill him in less than a year."

There were gasps and Madame Bones glanced at the Potions recipe. It was definitely a healing and rejuvenation potion. They knew from the investigative spells that the writing was Albus' and the potion had only Albus' magical signature in it. But the recipe called for the elixir of life.

"He borrowed the Philosopher's Stone, didn't he?" Madame Bones didn't really pose the statement as a question.

Severus nodded gravely. "I managed to slow and limit the curse to his hand, but it was a temporary stopgap that would buy him time to come up with an antidote. I was unable to be of any help, as I have never worked with the elixir of life or a philosopher's stone." Severus managed to sound a bit put out about that, hopefully cementing the idea that he really had no experience with potions that needed that particular ingrediant.

"So he was cursed and was making an antidote …" Rufus recapped, "… what about 'He Who Must Not Be Named, how did he get involved?"

"I would presume that between Harry Potter starting school and rumors about the Stone being here – and there were rumors – he could not resist trying for a way back to a new body and a bit of revenge." Kingsley nodded to his two superiors.

Severus almost smiled. It was much better to have the three Aurors coming up with some of the answers themselves with only a few prompts from him.

"I'm afraid that Professor Quirrell was possessed by the Dark Lord's spirit." Severus carefully did not say whether Quirrell was a willing host or not, pointing fingers always made Madame Bones suspicious.

"Mister Potter and I were on the way to my lab – he had a detention involving cauldrons needing cleaning …" Severus raised an eyebrow at Harry, who managed to look sheepish. "We heard shouting and ran to the lab the Headmaster has been using. The Headmaster was trying to fight off a dark specter but he appeared quite weak and was not very successful. Quirrell tried to grab Potter and was killed by the blood protection on him."

Rufus and Madame Bone's eyes cut to Harry who squirmed a bit.

"Why did the wards kill Quirrell and not Dumbledore?" Madame Bones asked with a frown.

Lucius broke in, knowing that Severus answering all the questions might be suspicious. "Blood wards are tricky things, and none of them act the same. I am not certain why they would attack one and not the other. It could be because Quirrell intended to kill Potter then and there. The possessed Headmaster perhaps had other ideas."

Harry broke in with a look of disgust. "Something went wrong with the potion and they were both stuck in Dumbledore's body and it was losing it's magic … they were going to try and fix that and have Voldemort take over my body permanently and then blame everything on Professor Snape and Quirrell." Harry didn't need to fake any horror at that thought.

The Aurors looked grim at the thought. "So Headmaster Dumbledore was in league with 'You Know Who'?" Rufus said with a snarl, though Severus noted a rather satisfied glint in Rufus' eyes. Rufus at least would not mind Albus turning out to be 'the bad guy'. However Severus should not seem _too_ eager to rush everyone to judgment when it came to Albus. Madame Bone was always suspicious of everyone, and she was no one to trifle with.

Severus let a sorrowful look creep over his face and he leaned forward, hands lying on his knees lightly, trying to appear sincere. "I am no Healer, but I understand that having your magical core shatter to the extent that Albus Dumbledore's core has can cause a certain amount of madness. It is rare, in fact, to stay completely sane when your magic is gone."

Severus fought to not smirk at the former Headmaster's fate. Albus had plotted to kill Harry; therefore Severus had no sympathy for Albus' fate. In fact, he had more sympathy and remnants of respect for Voldemort than Albus. Yes, the Dark Lord had tricked and lied about many things, but he had not pretended to have any intentions toward Harry other than to kill him. Albus had insisted that he was looking after Harry for years and it had all been lies.

Kingsley nodded, along with all the others. Dumbledore had been trying to recruit him through Moody. The recent debacles involving Moody, Dawlish and Albus not to mention his old transfiguration teacher Professor McGonagall had made him wary of their machinations. Kingsley had been skeptical even before all the 'little problems' the Headmaster had been experiencing. He simply didn't see the need for a vigilante group when the ministry was still acting fairly well in response to situations. After all, nothing had happened before today and now apparently the Dark Lord was defeated.

Madame Bones rose, nodding. "Well, Minister, I know you need to start working on a statement. Rufus and I will be along to give any last minute updates." Cornelius nodded and was ushered by Lucius to the floo with a glint in his eyes. "Rufus, you and Kingsley make sure the Department of Mysteries doesn't make off with anything they shouldn't." Rufus smiled and waved Kingsley to follow him. Madame Bones obviously had some grilling to do with no witnesses and he had no objections. Amelia was canny and rather thorough.

Severus stood as Amelia gazed at him with a shrewd gleam in her eyes. "Dumbledore can't be carrying the wards and magic of Hogwarts with a shattered core."

Severus nodded gravely. "Yes, they passed to me when his magic totally drained. I will be holding them until the Board of Governors appoints the next Headmaster." Or confirmed Severus him permanently to the position, Severus mused smugly. With Hogwarts accepting him as she had they would be reluctant to tamper with things. If Severus had been unsuitable Hogwarts would have passed him over for one of the Heads of House or simply locked down.

"There is usually some ritual for passing the wards. Having them dumped on you unexpectedly should have knocked you out for a few hours." Madam Bones mused aloud. "Unless you are a lot stronger magically than any of us had heard."

Severus just lifted an eyebrow. No response was really needed to that. Harry edged over to stand next to Severus, obviously supporting him as Headmaster.

"He protected me against Dumblemort." Harry said stoutly, making Bones smile at the name they had coined for the possessed ex-Headmaster. "He stood between me and the Avada Kedavra being cast at me. I think he'll protect the students here the way Dumbledore never did."

Madame Bones let that matter drop, Harry Potter was supporting Snape … he was very likely here to stay. Very well, on to the next question. "And just where is the Sorcerer's Stone, then?"

Finally, the pair of wizards hesitated in their response, but to her surprise Snape was looking to the boy to answer. Harry looked at her with a certain amount of suspicion.

"During the scuffle I summoned my house elf and had him take it away." Harry finally answered.

Bone raised a brow, herself. "Why didn't he take you to safety as well?"

Severus answered almost politely, "The wards do not allow students to be snatched by house elves, or anything else for that matter. We would have children kidnapped any every turn if there were no wards against it."

Madame Bones blinked; of course there would be wards against that. She must be more tired that she thought to have even asked. "Yes, of course." She murmured, hoping Snape didn't treat her to one of his legendary insult fests.

"So the stone will be returned to Nicholas Flamel, then?" Madame Bones asked, a glint in her eye. The same glint everyone seemed to get when mentioning the Stone. The thought of untold riches and a rather benign way to eternal life seemed to do that to a lot of people.

"As soon as we figure out how to contact him, I hope Professor Dumbledore had a floo address in his files, or something." Harry answered with a sigh.

Madame Bones nodded shortly, having to keep herself from asking exactly where the Stone was or offering to 'return it' herself. The dangers of having the Stone within one's grasp were getting clearer to her. It was better to simply not have access to it … even if you were a Hufflepuff.

Madame Bones knew there was more to all of this, her gut was rarely wrong about circumstances of this nature. The thing was; she didn't think that she necessarily cared how Snape had ended the situation. Dumbledore had gotten himself cursed, tried to fix it and got jumped and possessed by Voldemort. Bonkers or not he'd tried to get out of the possession by sacrificing Harry Potter for the Dark Lord to take over. Even going round the twist was no excuse for that.

Severus watched Bones carefully, knowing this was the moment of truth. Either she would go with the explanation or she would decide to really start digging and pull out pensieves and Veritaserum. They couldn't make Harry take potions and pull out memories, but they could go after Severus a bit.

He could work around the pensieve memories and only show what he wanted, he felt, his Occlumency would aid in that. There might be a few things he'd have to explain. Veritaserum, though … well for the most part he would be able to justify most everything by saying he was saving Harry Potter's life from the Headmaster's machinations. His only worry was that they might ask why the Headmaster wanted Harry dead.

He could always say that the Headmaster was angry about losing control of him, wanted to be able to take all the credit for Voldemort's defeat, etc. If they pressed him, though, he could only hope he could avoid any mention of that damnable Horcrux in Harry's scar. He wasn't sure what the ministry would resort to, but he didn't put much past them if it meant the end of Voldemort.

To his immense relief, Madame Bones finally nodded. "I'll need you to make official reports and all, but I believe we're done here."

Severus waited until the door closed and sagged in relief. Harry grinned and gripped Severus in a hug, and Severus patted the enclosing arms with a smug smile. They were safe, for now.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Vernon walked around the Salisbury track, whistling and greeting trainers and jockeys with a smile. Lucius had sent a brief note saying that Voldemort and Dumbledore were now subdued and getting themselves put in a padded lock-up. It had been brief and there were other worries, of course. But everything else had been small potatoes compared to those two.

Vernon gripped the odd looking red stone that was in his inner pocket that zipped up and was hard for even him to get to. Strange to think that it was a legendary item and that many would kill to get it.

He smiled again. It was fun to think that wizards owed him quite a bit for keeping it safe. More than one wizard would have a stroke if they knew a muggle had possession of the Stone 'to keep it safe'. Even Vernon had been surprised when Harry had said he would be sending the Sorcerer's Stone to him.

Vernon sighed, a bit misty eyed. Petunia would have had a good laugh if she had been here. It was over a year since she had passed on, though it seemed longer, somehow. That was likely because so much had happened in a short time. He knew that Narcissa was just waiting for him to show signs of being ready to 'move on'. She hinted now and then that she had women waiting in the wings to 'meet him'. He suspected that they were squibs or muggle 'relatives of relatives' or some such.

Narcissa seemed anxious to ensure that he and Dudley maintained close ties to the wizarding world and especially the Malfoys, preferably by marriage Vernon supposed. Vernon didn't mind, it was a bit flattering, he supposed. As long as Narcissa waited patiently for him to 'be ready'.

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Rita Skeeter flooed into the Headmaster's study with a glint in her eyes two days later. Severus had promised her award – winning interviews and articles if she sat on some of the information she'd had for what seemed like forever. Normally she would have given a source a day or two and then release the story no matter what. She did tend to be a bit impatient.

She smiled at Severus with some smugness. She'd become quite fond of him. He had a delightfully jaundiced outlook on life and had brought her quite a lot of fame – and she had not needed to exaggerate or make anything up. That had been a bit of a new experience for her. Usually she at least padded the stories a bit, but Severus had said it was important to be very accurate. That 'the events would be looked at by historians in the future, most likely, and unless she wanted to be viewed as an unscrupulous journalist and not taken seriously by people in the future, she had best stick to the absolute truth.

That idea had never occurred to her, and she had reviewed some of her past articles with different eyes. How would people in the future view the things that she had written? Much of it could be rather easily disproved or was obviously slanted in nature. They would think of her as either an idiot or a chronic liar. This was not a cheerful thought.

Severus was right; she needed to be much more accurate about things. This didn't mean she didn't lust after really hot stories, just that she could **not** play them up with lies or half-truths, especially about things regarding Harry Potter and 'He Who Must Not Be Named. Those articles _would_ be historical in nature and would likely be torn apart in the future by people looking for information, just as she occasionally would tear apart past articles about things, looking for nuggets of information for her own stories.

She stiffened her resolve. Those future writers would not find her work wanting from now on. Especially since even if the 'historians' were looking over her work a century from now, she was likely to still be alive to have to read their criticism.

Severus saw her settled into a chair and pulled out a rather pricey magnum of champagne form Albus' now infamous 'quill and ink' drawer. He poured them each a glass and they chimed them together in a silent toast.

"Well, I am sure you already have the Ministry's story … Dumbledore trying to get rid of dark artifacts, getting cursed, the antidote backfiring and causing him to lose his magic. Not to mention getting possessed by the Dark Lord." Severus smirked. The Ministry was avoiding saying anything about Albus' total slip into insanity and his probable collusion with Voldemort. Fudge and Bones said that the full truth was unknown and they should not tarnish Albus' name unless they were sure. Rufus had reluctantly agreed with a rather sulky look.

"And there is rather more to the story, I expect?" Rita asked with an arch look. Now that the screaming headlines full of speculation were over with, she expected to put out an article that would have all the right information – the one the historians would read to know what _really_ happened.

"Well, the dark artifact happened to belong to Lord V-voldemort." Severus barely stuttered over the name. He'd been practicing, and he didn't intend to give the Dark Lord any further power over him – not even with the dreaded name.

Rita's eyes widened, quite impressed with Severus' daring. And the news that Albus had been after artifacts belonging to the Dark Lord? What did that mean?

"The curse on the dark artifact would have killed him quickly, but I did manage to limit it to his right hand for a while. It would have eventually spread no matter what. He didn't have very long, just a few months. He must have found an old tome with an antidote that he thought would work. It required the Elixir of Life." Severus smiled at Rita's wide eyes and gave her the rundown of Albus' 'fears' for the Stone's safety and the gauntlet they had set up.

"Professor Quirrell was helping Voldemort and together they overcame Albus when the potion fractured his core. Albus should have realized the potion was wrong when he saw that Sweet Briar was being combined with geraniums, not to mention he used orange lilies instead of white. The formula did not specify what color, but anyone with experience would know that using orange lilies in any potion would cause harm to their magical core." Severus gave the information casually. The Department of Mysteries had gone over the formula they had been found and finally found the error. They had not kept it a secret and had loudly concluded that Albus must have copied it down wrong.

Severus smiled a bit; he'd added those elements to the formula carefully. Only a highly train Potions Master would have known the problem, and he'd made sure the only lilies available in the Hogwart's greenhouse at that time were orange. It was ironic that orange lilies represented hatred in the old 'language of flowers' and geraniums meant folly.

The rest of the story Severus could tell with no real editing. To everyone's relief Dumblemort was quickly becoming incoherent most of the time. He alternated between Albus, who continually wept and Voldemort who raged rather incomprehensibly. The Ministry would not be getting any information from either of them to contradict Severus.

Rita copied down the last words of the tale and then tossed the pad and quill to one side and reached for Severus eagerly. Severus laughed and tossed an obscuring spell at the scandalized portraits. He submitted to her kisses happily and then eyed Albus' old desk. He'd always wanted to do something truly outrageous on Albus' desk ….

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Severus watched the nervously twitching Governors with satisfaction. So much had happened over the last week, and the children were on their way home for spring break, enough time for him to pull the school together. Getting confirmed by them as Headmaster had been easy enough, with Fudge backing him eagerly after Harry had asked Fudge for help with a wistful look. Harry had eagerly told anyone who would listen that Severus had stood between him and a killing curse being cast by Dumblemort. Severus sighed with satisfaction. If only Voldemort and Albus knew that the wizarding world was calling them Dumblemort, they would have a stroke on the spot. Rita had been quite happy to put the name in her article, saying she was quoting 'the Hogwarts schoolchildren'.

"Gentlemen, we do need to replace teachers for at least the remainder of term. I realize my choices will need to be further reviewed over the summer, but in the meantime we have NEWTs and OWLs to get the students ready for." The governors relaxed a bit and nodded.

"First, I did get Professor Slughorn to return to his old post." Severus noted their relieved smiles with amusement. Perhaps they thought he was going to bring out Bellatrix LeStrange or Fenrir Greyback? Horace had been easy to persuade, Severus just pointed out that Harry Potter was there and that since he'd been gone from Hogwarts for over a decade, he might soon run out of sources for free Quidditch tickets and the more expensive candies.

"Professor Remus Lupin has been filling in for Professor McGonagall with no difficulty and should continue to do so." Severus braced himself for the onslaught of objections. To his surprise they were few, mostly there were questions about how Lupin could be kept safe during the full moon.

Perhaps all the stories in the Prophet about Remus and Sirius Black's friendship had helped. They had had a typical noisy and tear-filled and very public reconciliation that one expected from Gryffindors. Harry and all his friends had raved about Lupins's wonderful lessons to anyone that would listen.

"I assure you I have been supplying his Wolfsbane and on full moon nights he is well-secured by myself to prevent any mishaps." Severus said, and was rather shocked when they all nodded, apparently satisfied. There had been a lot of information from European wolf colonies lately, sneering at Britain's 'barbaric treatment of werewolves' and the need for them to do better. Perhaps they were getting pressure from the Ministry. Nevertheless, it fell in with Severus' wish to keep a close eye on Remus.

"Any plans for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position?" One of governors asked, little hope in her voice.

"I do have a candidate. I hope to have him pick up the class when classes resume." Severus smiled at their eagerness … and their stunned looks when he gave them the name.

Being Headmaster was definitely much more fun than teaching.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Harry raced to his home in the Dower house to plot with his Uncle and Dudley on the return of the Stone to Nicholas Flamel. There had been demands from Flamel for its return and Harry had snottily insisted that Flamel come and fetch it, himself. They all intended to tear a strip off him for handing it over to Albus, like he had.

Draco bounced into Malfoy Manor with Severus arriving right behind him. They walked into the family room to find Sirius going through a large stack of letters with a wild-eyed look and making unhappy noises.

Narcissa had a tight-lipped look of disapproval and Lucius and Remus were snickering.

"I don't understand … I made it perfectly clear!" Sirius was wailing. He'd been a bit inebriated when he had sent off the advertisement to be placed in the 'looking for work' section of the paper, but he had _thought_ it was clear.

"What now, Black?" Severus asked with resignation.

"Sirius was looking for work. He was afraid he would get bored now he doesn't have Moody or Minerva to torment anymore." Remus explained and handed over the Daily Prophet over to him. It was turned and folded to show part of the advertisements with one circled in red.

'_Experienced wizard seeking interesting positions to try.' _It read.

"They mistakenly put it in the personal ads instead of those looking for jobs." Remus muffled the laughter fighting to escape.

Draco looked confused and Narcissa hustled him away before anything got explained.

Severus didn't try to restrain his own mirth, while Sirius muttered and shook his head over another salacious response to his ad.

Remus helped open a letter and or two and said brightly "Oh, this one sent a picture …" Remus peered at the photo and then looked horrified. "Uh, oh … it's not of his face." Remus dropped the picture hastily while Lucius choked on his drink.

Sirius dropped his head into his hands and whimpered. "Thank Merlin I didn't put my name on the ad."

"Well, assuming you don't intend to try one of the positions the letters offer, would you consider taking up the Defense position at Hogwarts, at least for the remainder of the school year?" Severus snickered at Sirius's look of relief.

"Do you mean it?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"Yes, since I already told the governors you were taking the position." Severus grinned at Sirius' eye roll at that. "Plus Lupin will be there to help keep you in line. He has the Transfiguration position for now." Severus looked at Remus apologetically. "We'll have the next few months to convince the governors and parents that our security measures are the very best."

"Thank you for the opportunity, Severus." Remus answered sincerely.

Lucius eyed the werewolf sourly, but Severus was right. Better to have Lupin under their watchful eyes. Black would insist on having him around anyway. This would ensure they knew what he was up to.

With his career plans now made Sirius happily cast _incendio_ on the pile of letters, making Lucius yell about the now scorched mahogany coffee table.

Severus rolled his eyes and escaped during the argument that Remus was trying to mediate and found Narcissa alone on a terrace.

Perfect. This needed to be done without Lucius.

Severus had thought long and hard about the vial of Elixir of Life he had snatched. It was enough to give an extra decade or two of life, maybe a little more. However Severus had little interest in prolonging his life at present. He still had around a century and a half of life left even without it. He supposed he might feel differently when he turned one hundred and eighty.

Or he could likely turn a fair amount of lead into gold with it, but he really didn't need it. He wasn't Malfoy – style rich, but he was well off. He finally decided he could just keep it. It was possible he would need to make a real antidote to an otherwise unbreakable curse, or something like that. It was rather fun to just have the vial of ultra-rare elixir.

Then he had thought of Narcissa and knew what at least part of the elixir would be used for.

Severus held out a potion vial to Narcissa. "I cannot guarantee that this will break the curse Bellatrix cast on you. I did find an old formula for a healing potion for curses of this nature in that grimoire we used on Albus. Of course, like all the other potions in that book, it called for the elixir of life. Luckily I grabbed that vial when Albus grabbed the fake stone."

Narcissa looked at the potion in numb disbelief. After a decade of no hope, it was almost too much to believe in. Even if it didn't work, she was astounded that Severus would use part of the Elixir of Life to try and help her. It was an incredible gift. She gasped out a sob and threw her arms around Severus.

"Thank you, thank you." Narcissa sobbed out. "You have no idea…"

"Just remember, I don't know for certain it will work." Severus emphasized. That was why he had not included Lucius. Another crushing disappointment would do Lucius no good. "Take the potion and give it two days – then have St Mungo's check you."

Narcissa pulled herself together and ran to her bedroom and sat on the bed, her head reeling. She gazed at a recent picture of Lucius and herself on the wall, hoping she would have good news for Lucius. Her image smiled and nodded in encouragement to her. She downed the liquid and wondered how she would manage to last two days before knowing the outcome.

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

Two days later Severus escaped from a pair of sobbing Malfoys who were incoherent with joy at the news that Narcissa was completely healed. Severus was pretty sure Draco would have a younger sibling in less than a year.

Severus saw Harry strolling the grounds, Rusty following him and nibbling on grass here and there and he crossed the lawn to intercept them. Rusty eyed him curiously and continued to amble after Harry, who brightened at the sight of Severus.

"You just missed Flamel. I thought he would blow a gasket when he realized Uncle Vernon had the Stone, not me. I let him know he had nearly caused Voldemort's return with his carelessness, and that he was lucky I was letting him have it back since, considering that.

Severus chuckled. Flamel had likely not been pleased to be chewed on by a first year, but if he had to act like a nitwit, he deserved it.

"How are you doing, Harry?" Severus asked, peering at the young boy.

"I'm not sure." Harry said with a faintly puzzled look. "There has been sword over my head waiting to drop for so very long. Voldemort and Dumbledore have been waiting just around the corner for years, now. Now that they are gone, it's a little … weird?" Harry shrugged, not sure how to explain his slightly lost feeling with no murderous Dark Lord's or homicidal Headmasters out for his blood.

Severus sat on a nearby bench and Harry perched beside him, stroking the curious Rusty's neck. "It will take time. The two of them have overshadowed your life for almost as long as you remember. Just keep on day by day, I assure you that life will throw other challenges at you before long."

"Thanks, I think." Harry snorted with a grin, and then abruptly stopped smiling. "What about the … um, you know, my scar?" Harry was nearly whispering.

Severus looked that boy over, they had spoken of it before, but clearly he needed reassurance.

"When they took Dumblemort out of Hogwarts, I made sure you were there." Severus reminded Harry. "When he looked at you and your eyes met, what did you feel?"

"Nothing, I felt nothing" Harry answered in relief. "I always felt a lot of pain when I met Quirrell's eyes when Voldemort had possessed him. Are you sure that means I am safe?"

"Voldemort no longer has any magic, so there is no way for him to access any connection he might have had with you. The Horcrux may still be there, but it is useless to him. When you die in a century or two, his last link with this world. Albus likely only has a decade – he was very old already, but the potion did have Elixir of Life in it, so it has bought him a little time. Voldemort had best hope that when the Headmaster dies, that he dies as well or he'll be stuck as a very weak wandering spirit until you die as well." Severus hid his smile at the thought. Harry sometimes found Severus' lack of empathy for his enemies a little disturbing.

"You are sure the horcrux can't make me do anything?" Harry asked for the hundredth time.

Severus bit down on his impatience. Harry was only eleven, first years always seemed to need things endlessly repeated before they believed anything.

"Absolutely not." Severus answered patiently. "If you do find yourself plotting the takeover of the wizarding world, just let me know and I'll assign you enough detentions to quell that urge."

Harry laughed with some relief. Severus seemed quite sure about all this, and of all the adults in his life Severus seemed most likely to tell him the truth even if the truth was horrible.

"I promise not to make you my minion if I do decide to take over any part of the world." Harry said brightly. "I'm sorry I keep asking you the same questions."

"If you do chose to become an Evil Overlord you will need to remember that they never apologize." Severus smile at Harry's look of relief. He hoped Harry believed in his freedom from Voldemort, now.

Harry jumped up and led Rusty back to his paddock, chattering to the bemused horse happily. Severus was left to watch the boy with a smile on his face. Harry was soon joined by Draco and Dudley and they started planning what they would do for summer vacation.

Severus glanced at his now tattoo – free left arm and smiled even more brightly. He would need to rethink his own future as well, now that he was free from both light and dark 'evil overlords'.

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A/N – pretty much done with Petunia's Boys except for an epilogue. Hope you've enjoyed the ride.


	20. Epilogue

PB20

Disclaimer – not mine, making no money off it.

Chapter 20, or "Harry Potter and the Obligatory Epilogue"

Severus watched the very proud Lucius and the smugly delighted Narcissa as Lucius cradled his new daughter in his arms. Draco was dancing around behind his father. "Let me hold her, can I hold her?" Lucius didn't appear to hear him while the healer pronounced Narcissa well-recovered and the baby healthy.

Dudley and Harry whispered to each other from the doorway. Severus could hear them discussing the newborn. It was just as well they couldn't be heard since they were trying to figure out why the wrinkled, red-faced baby with no hair to be seen was being described as beautiful.

Severus viewed the baby a bit doubtfully, himself. Rita and he had made good partners in stirring up trouble as well as enjoying Rita's 'passion' for a good scoop. Rita now had a sure bestseller going to print that was factual biography of Albus with only a bit of speculation, and she made sure the readers knew when she was doing so. Harry was, of course, mentioned especially at the end while the adventure with Voldemort and the Sorcerer's stone.

Rita had found a new sacred cow to roast with Flamel and his idiocy in lending the stone to Albus. The editors had been aghast at some of the things Rita had revealed. Plus, although many things had been exposed in the news, seeing the pattern of deception as it was shown in the book made it difficult for even a die-hard Dumbledore follower to ignore the fact that Albus had an agenda of his own in the works.

Severus had thought that 'the book' would be the only 'baby' Rita would be interested in. Now, with Rita carefully taking the baby girl from Lucius to hold while Draco continued to whine that it was his turn, Severus wasn't so sure. She smiled at the baby, who was being christened 'Diana Petunia Malfoy.

Severus shrugged mentally. They had spoken about formalizing their relationship and Severus had to admit that they would get along rather well and they had a growing affection for each other. Severus quirked an eyebrow at her and she answered with a small smirk. Yes, Rita was leaning toward motherhood. What a child they were likely have, Severus thought, and gave a long-suffering sigh.

Sirius watched with horror as a malicious Rita passed him the baby girl. He'd been thrilled when they asked him to be godfather to little Diana. He now realized they wanted him to actually hold the baby. He'd avoided doing much with Harry until his godson been able to walk, terrified he'd hurt the child. Now he had this tiny infant in his hands. He finally remembered how to coo and rock a baby, even if she was smaller than Harry had been.

"When can I hold her?" Draco asked plaintively.

Lucius patted Draco's head absently. "Hush, you'll make the baby cry. You never liked loud noises when you were this size."

Sirius passed the baby off to Vernon, who held Diana expertly and chirped at her, winning a smile from the bemused infant.

"Thank you for making Petunia her middle name." Vernon smiled at Narcissa. Petunia had always wanted a daughter, but she'd have been pleased to have a namesake.

"We owe your late wife a great deal." Narcissa smiled softly. Petunia had become a popular name, recently. Since Harry had returned to the wizarding world and Petunia's story had become known, there had been a lot of babies named Petunia.

Vernon carefully handed the small bundle to a dismayed Severus, who tried to look pleased and after a few moments handed her back to her beaming father.

"Dad!?" Draco yanked desperately on Lucius' robes as he took Diana back from Severus.

Lucius looked down at Draco, "Ah, Draco, would you like to hold your sister before we put her in her bassinet?"

"Yes." Draco answered with gusting sigh. He took the girl with a possessive smile. At last, he had a sibling! He hoped she would like Quidditch … and the footie games as well.

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Harry trotted Rusty ahead of the line of Camargue horses that everyone else was on. Rusty may have been retired for a decade and a half, and was now old enough to vote but he still disliked having other horses ahead of him.

Rita and Harry had made a good chunk of money collaborating on a children's book about Rusty, telling of his racing career. How he had started out a skinny, overlooked yearling and becoming a racer of note. Petunia was mentioned as well as his friendship with Harry. The terrible accident at the racetrack and his rescue by Severus fixing his leg with a spell had gained Severus more admiration and respect among incoming students than his fame as a Potions Master ever had.

The book had been meant to introduce wizard children to at least a few aspects of the muggle world in an interesting manner and it had been a success at that.

Harry patted Rusty's shoulder, connecting long enough to promise apples and carrots when they reached the clearing at the top of the hillside. Harry smiled when they reached their destination; it had an impressive overlook, letting them have an eagle's view of the Malfoy Manor below them. Lucius certainly liked having a good look around his realm.

Harry, Dudley and Draco unsaddled the horses and put magical ties on them, allowing them to graze, but not go too far. Harry gave Rusty his promised treats as well as the other horses. They had varied tastes. Dudley's mount liked fig newtons, Draco's horse liked oranges, and more than one of them enjoyed peppermints.

Diana, who was soon to graduate from Hogwarts helped lay out the picnic, the younger twins – Romulus Lucien and Remus James - set up chairs that house elves popped in with, while Lucius cast insect repelling charms. The youngest girl, Laurel, raced around with Severus and Rita's daughter Margery and Sirius' son Gareth. The ranks of wizarding children had definitely expanded in the last decade.

Severus watched Harry, as he always did, ready to reassure the man if he showed signs of worrying about the scar. He hadn't done so in the last few years and Severus hoped he would simply forget about the Horcrux. Harry was in the diplomatic corps, for now, but Severus expected that when he finally tired of travel he would settle into serious study of magical creatures, since he was able to talk to them after a fashion, just as he talked to the horses.

Vernon was not there, he'd stayed home with Dudley's wife and young son. Judith disliked riding and Gregori was only three. Judith was a witch, but she had a muggleborn father and was comfortable in either world.

Vernon's new wife was also a witch who had been widowed by Voldemort in the first war, though technically there hadn't really been a second one. Her children and extended family had met Vernon and liked what they saw and knew the benefit of being even loosely connected with Harry Potter. They were only distantly related to the Malfoy's, but it was enough to satisfy Lucius and Narcissa that they would be able to keep the Dursley family close.

Vernon still worked as Lucius' racing stable accountant, he was not really well enough to take on a huge business, but Dudley now had joined him and they oversaw most of the stable and Dudley did much of the training. It kept them busy and employed rather profitably.

It was enough to keep Vernon and Dudley in the Dower House where Lucius could be assured that no one in the wizarding world forgot that the Malfoys had saved Harry Potter and his family from the streets.

The picnic finally ended, to Severus' relief. He enjoyed the outdoors, but only in a comfortable garden or a well-kept lawn. 'Roughing it' in a forest glade, even one warded against pests was only enjoyable because his daughter Margery liked it. Still, leaving meant climbing back onto one of those aggravating equines. He firmly believed that a person had to be numb at both ends to enjoy horseback riding.

Harry once again took the lead, in deference to Rusty's need to always be ahead of every other horse, even if they weren't racing.

They were within sight of the stables, to Severus' relief when Harry stiffened in the saddle, grabbing at his head with a groan. Rusty sidestepped, trying to keep Harry on his back, but Harry slumped over and rolled off Rusty's shoulder and onto the ground.

Severus and Lucius got to him first, but soon there was a crowd around Harry. Severus pillowed Harry's head in his lap and the crowd gasped, seeing a trickle of black liquid streaming out of Harry's scar. Lucius produced a handkerchief and wetted it down with an _aguamenti. _He wiped the thick goo off Harry's face and Draco put the handkerchief into a magic-suppressing bag for inspection later.

Severus and Lucius hovered Harry onto a conjured stretcher took him into the Manor, settling him into the bedroom he used when he was not out of the country. The Dursley family filled the dower house and Harry was always gone, so the switch had suited everyone. Plus it made the Malfoys happy, since they finally had Harry under their roof.

Severus and Lucius stared at each other in dread until Dudley finally said what they all were thinking. "Someone needs to check on that Dumblemort fellow."

Severus nodded unhappily. "I'll go."

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The walk down the corridors of St Mungo's seemed especially long this time. Severus had been there frequently, at first, when Albus and company had been admitted. He still came here several times a month to check on things. He supposed it was a self-imposed penance, since he'd engineered the whole thing. Some part of his mind felt he'd had no right to pass judgment on either wizard.

Oh, he'd have made the same decision no matter what and most of his conscience did not bother him. That little piece that muttered unhappily at him kept him checking on his old masters_**, both**_ his old masters.

The struggle for dominance had lasted a few days but soon Voldemort had been in charge, though mostly he was not able to form a coherent sentence for months. By that time only the healer in charge of the unit had any interest in their least favored resident and as there was nothing to be done to reverse any of the damage, well Dumblemort had very few looking in on him.

A few of Albus' most faithful had tried to visit, but when they realized the wizard in charge was Voldemort they had ceased visiting as well.

Once Voldemort started to talk sense, Severus had struck a bargain. Voldemort would 'not cast any doubts on Severus' credibility as a upstanding member of wizarding society and Severus would keep him comfortable with whatever he wanted in his well-padded suite in the Straightjacket Inn'.

Voldemort had grumbled, but he had no magic, no followers left, no one in the permanently spell-damaged ward was likely to listen to him if he said Severus had played Albus and Voldemort for fools. Worse, they probably wouldn't care. Even dragging out old wrongs done by Severus would be of little use. The Aurors were unlikely to listen, as the wizarding world was moving on.

Voldemort quietly made lists of what he wanted, books and newspapers mostly. Chocolate frogs and cauldron cakes were also favored. Severus was presented with a list on most visits and he complied for the most part.

Amelia had once cornered him once, asking why he was doing this even a decade after Dumblemort's admission to the long-term 'somewhat dangerous' ward.

Severus had tried to answer at least a little truthfully. "Albus could have been a great leader, and he did try for years to be just that. Voldemort was one of Albus' great failures; he also could have been great. I visit them to remember what I don't ever want to become. It happened to them, and it most certainly could happen to me."

Amelia had nodded, eyeing him. She was aware that Severus was not far behind Albus in power (at least before Albus lost it all.) If checking on Dumblemort kept him honest, that was fine with her.

Severus finally reached the end of the corridor and was met by a surprised Director of the spell-damage unit. "Headmaster Snape, we about to contact you. I'm afraid Albus Dumbledore has passed on."

Severus tried to look surprised. "Ah, I thought he looked unwell when I visited last week, but I didn't expect it to be fatal."

Severus was led to the morgue and he perused the remains almost with relief. As long as Harry woke up unaffected, this was a good thing. He spared a brief thought to Voldemort. Had his spirit finally passed on to where it belonged? He hoped so, if only so everyone had closure. Tom Riddle was the last ghost anyone needed roaming around.

Severus had long ago made arrangements for Albus to be buried with his mother and sister. Albus' brother had washed his hands of Britain altogether and gone to New Zealand, so there was no one to object.

Severus flooed back to Malfoy Manor and was relieved to find Harry awake and staring at a mirror. The scar was now just a thin line, nearly invisible. Severus shooed everyone else out after assuring them of Dumblemort's final demise.

"It's just about gone, Severus." Harry said happily.

"Yes, the horcrux came undone completely when Voldemort and Albus died." Severus sat next to the bed and looked at his old student sternly. "I expect no more excuses from you about why you haven't asked Susan Bones to marry you. Do it soon or some other, smarter, wizard will snatch her from you. Your Aunt Petunia would come back and kick you if that happened."

Harry nodded, "Yes, even Draco's engaged to Hermione, now. I had better get on with it. Aunt Petunia would have liked Susan, I think."

Severus nodded and hustled Harry out to the floo, "No time like the present. I know you've had the ring for over a year."

"Another Auror in the family?" Lucius asked with mock peevishness, as he watched Harry leave for the Auror department. "Isn't having Draco in those hideously loud uniforms enough?"

Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z~Z

The End


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